


Bandits of Sorrow

by nyeh413peasants



Category: Homestuck
Genre: A lot of fucked up deaths, Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - High School, Cannibalism, Forced Cannibalism, Forced Incest, Humanstuck, Mental Breakdown, Multi, Nonconsensual Underage Sex, Panic Attacks, Scottish Amporas, The Amporas are in a gang, The Serkets and Makaras are the villains but hey what else is new, Torture, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, there will be happy/fluffy shit i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-05-18 07:12:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 23
Words: 82,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5904280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyeh413peasants/pseuds/nyeh413peasants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing up in a gang, one learns not to let too many people get close to them. However, when they do, they will protect those loved ones even at the cost of their own life. Eridan Ampora is no different, even if he is only 16.</p>
<p>THIS WORK IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING COMPLETELY REWRITTEN AND REPOSTED SEPARATELY.  THIS FIC WILL NOT BE UPDATED AGAIN.  (A link will be posted for the new fic when posting begins.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

A cool breeze wafted through the trees. The sky was overcast, which created a darkness throughout Edinburgh, Scotland. The hustle and bustle of people traveling and going to their various destinations filled what would have been a quiet landscape. The sounds of car horns and yelling could be heard for miles.

While most people were out and trying to get to various places, a small family were sat in their home, twiddling their thumbs and waiting for very important and very grim news. The family’s last name was one that was quite known throughout Edinburgh, though not for good reasons. The Ampora’s were feared and hated, as they were the most notorious gang around. The family consisted of Alastair, Darian, Cronus, and Eridan Ampora. They were a family that stuck to what they were born into.

However, that day, the four Ampora’s became three, as Alastair passed away from a horrid bout of pneumonia no one was sure how he contracted. The man had always been quite healthy, never getting sick until that week.

Darian, the son of Alastair, bowed his head next to his father’s deceased body trying to process the man’s last wish for the family. He wasn’t sure how he was going to break it to his sons, but he knew it needed to be done quickly.

The black-haired man stood. Darian Ampora had thick hair that he usually kept slicked back with a generous amount of gel, bright blue eyes that mirrored that of the sky, and a strong jawline littered with trimmed facial hair. Most thought the man was drop dead gorgeous until they learned what he did for a living. Luckily, Darian didn’t introduce himself a newfound gang leader. Instead, he passed himself off as a business man.

Darian exited the room, tossing one last look back at Alastair and moving slowly to the living room, already coming up with easy ways to tell his sons the news.

Cronus and Eridan were sat on the couch. The man’s son’s looks greatly mirrored their fathers, with the black hair, blue eyes, and strong facial features. Darian knew they’d be able to get anyone they wanted- only they couldn’t. The life they lived was much too dangerous, and the Ampora's refused to put anyone in that kind of danger.

Cronus, Darian’s eldest, looked up, his eyes wide and filled with concern. “Well?” The young man’s voice used to be quite high, but he had definitely grown into it throughout the years as it had deepened quite a bit.

Darian shook his head, a look of sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry boys, your grandfather is gone,” he said in a soft voice, his accent thick on his tongue.

“So you’re takin’ over the gang then?” Eridan, his youngest, asked.

Eridan and Cronus were polar opposites. The latter simply wanted to chase love and settle down, while Eridan wanted to take over the gang once Darian passed- just as Darian had done with his father. The man wished his youngest didn’t have that line of thinking, but he thought of him as admirable for it.

Darian nodded. “He also had a last dying wish that I intend on following through with,” he began, watching as his sons tilted their heads to the side, their eyes filling with curiosity. “We’re moving to America. New York, to be specific. Your grandfather wants us to go there as we have business to attend to… The Serket's.”

Cronus and Eridan’s eyes widened. The Serket's had been their enemy for years. They were always at one another’s throats, though they’d never seen them in the flesh. Due to the fact that they were countries apart, they sent lackeys to one another, trying to bring the other down. Unfortunately, the Ampora's had been unsuccessful and capturing and bringing down their biggest rival.

“Are you kidding me? We’re going all the way to America just to take care of a few bitches only to come back?” Cronus asked, incredulous. “Why don’t we just wait for them to come here?”

“Because, we aren’t just going to get rid of them and come back, we’re moving there permanently,” Darian responded, ready for the explosion to burst forth from his sons.

Instead he found himself surprised when they stayed quiet. The boys were wide-eyed, as if they didn’t believe what their father had just said. How could they believe it? Scotland was their home. It was where they had grown up. There was no way they could just leave.

“What, is the gang goin’ to pack up and leave with us too?” Eridan finally asked, his voice gruff with anger.

“That’s exactly what they’re going to do. And they didn’t complain once. Now go pack your rooms, boys. Only take essentials and things that you can’t live without. We’re giving the rest away,” Darian responded, not in the mood to worry about his sons’ feelings at that moment. The man still needed to get Alastair cremated before they left. The Ampora’s never wasted time with the putting together of a funeral. There was absolutely no point.

Twelve hours passed with Cronus and Eridan packing while Darian went out to contact someone about the burning of his father. Despite the fact that the man was the newfound leader of a gang, he still let himself grieve his father’s death.  Alastair was cruel and heartless, but he was still a father. He taught Darian everything and raised him right; with an iron fist and many rules put into place. There were many times the Ampora felt as if he had failed at fathering Cronus and Eridan, and Alastair made sure Darian was aware of the fact that he had, in fact, failed.

There were many times when Cronus and Eridan would get into long-lasting arguments with their grandfather about the job Darian was doing in raising them. However, the simple fact that the younger ones talked back was proof enough.

Darian watched as a man pushed his father’s corpse into a large oven-looking contraption, locking the door, and flipping a switch. Automatically the room began to grow warm. There was no going back, the deed was being done.

“Will ya want the ashes?” the man asked, lifting his hat for a moment and wiping sweat off his brow.

Darian nodded. “Yes, but my sons and I are leaving in a few hours. I will call you with a forwarding address once we get to our destination and you can send them that way,” he responded, holding out his large hand. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Yeah of course, lad,” the man said, sounding solemn. It was obvious he hated taking care of the deceased. “You have yourself a safe move.”

Darian nodded his head once before heading outside, taking in a few deep breaths and looking around. While he wanted to follow through with his father’s orders he knew he would miss Scotland and everything it held. The beauty was clear and while there was plenty of sadness and hardships, there were also happy times that he didn’t want to leave behind. After all, it was where his sons were born and where he had met the love of his life.  Granted, she had been taken away from him, which was why the rule of no lovers had been set in place.

With one last look around, the man went back to his home to finish packing and board the flight to America- their new home.


	2. America

The Ampora’s looked at their new home.  America had a different feel to it. While Edinburgh was crazy at times, it was nothing compared to New York. Everyone had somewhere to be and they didn’t care who they took out in order to get there. Darian began regretting abiding his father’s wishes, but there was nothing they could do; they were already there, in front of their home.

The place was large- three stories and brand new. The home stood proudly on the end of a street next to smaller houses that simply couldn't compare. If Darian Ampora had wanted to try to blend in, it wasn’t working at all. They stuck out like sore thumbs and knew it. Still, they picked up their luggage and headed inside, looking around and taking deep breaths. Larger furniture had already been moved in, sitting spotless and proud in the clean rooms.

Eridan could tell their lives in New York wouldn’t be pleasant. He wasn’t sure where the feelings came from, but they were there. He wondered how the rest of the gang were holding up with their new homes- and the new country. He wanted to talk to them about their feelings on the move and see if they felt the same as Eridan and Cronus, but he knew it was no use. The gang would side with Darian no matter what. If they hated being in America, they wouldn’t show it.

The youngest Ampora turned up his nose before grabbing one of his bags and heading upstairs, going to one of the rooms on the left and making it his. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it heavily. He’d had bad feelings before, they weren’t a new occurrence, but there was something about being in America that rubbed him the wrong way. It was as if something huge was looming over him, and no matter what he did he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Instead of doing much else, Eridan unpacked his things and went to bed, not bothering to say anything to his father or brother. He knew he was being ridiculous about the entirety of the move, but he couldn’t help it. His father simply should have checked with his sons to make sure moving was something that was best for the family- of course, Darian couldn't just disobey his father's dying wish, but the stubborn teenage thoughts were still looming.

^^^

Eridan’s alarm clock woke him up at 5:30 AM. The smell of breakfast foods wafted into his room and caused his mouth to water. He hadn’t realized just how hungry he was.

Running a hand through his hair, the youngest Ampora threw the covers off his body and stood up, shivering when his bare feet hit the cool hardwood floor. The feeling made him want to retreat right back into bed, but he held back, knowing if he didn’t get up then, he’d get shit from the others.

Stifling a yawn, Eridan walked down the stairs to the glorious smell coming from the kitchen. Darian stood at the stove, moving eggs around with a spatula.

He automatically noticed Eridan’s presence and turned to him with a light smile. “Good morning, Eridan. There’s coffee in the pot.”

The teenager automatically perked up at the sound of coffee and went over to the coffee pot, pouring himself a mug and adding creamer before going to the island. He sat down and sipped at the hot beverage, feeling it go down into his stomach as he tilted his head back, making a content sound.

“You and your coffee, I swear,” Darian said, grinning at the other as he scraped a portion of the scrambled eggs onto a plate along with bacon and pancakes before handing the plate to his youngest. The man usually wasn’t one for making breakfast, but he knew he needed to make up the move somehow to Eridan. “Look, Eridan, I know you probably resent me for the move, but you need to understand that it was completely necessary. We had to come here and I know you know that.”

Eridan had picked up his fork and began eating, however stopped when his father began talking. “Yeah, I know. It doesn’t mean I’m suddenly goin’ to be all gung ho about movin’ here though. I don’t like bein’ here, Dad. I don’t have a good feelin' about it.”

“I know, I know. I’m just trying to explain things to you,” Darian responded, getting to work on making more eggs for Cronus. “As for your ‘bad feelings’, you know you’re simply having them due to the fact that you hate it here so much. Give it a few weeks, let us run a few raids and see how you feel then. You simply need to warm up to New York before hating it automatically.”

The youngest rolled his eyes, but nodded. There was a part of him that wanted to call his father out, but knew it was no use. Darian Ampora was stubborn and would never listen- especially not to his sixteen-year-old son. Instead of saying anything back, the two fell into silence, with Eridan eating his breakfast and Darian preparing more food.

After half an hour, Cronus came downstairs. His black hair was slicked back as per usual. The seventeen-year-old had donned a white t-shirt, black jeans, and a leather jacket, definitely sporting the 1950’s Greaser look that annoyed both his younger brother and father.

“Morning, guys,” the eldest of the boys said with a bright smile, ruffling Eridan’s bedhead as he sat next to him.

Eridan mumbled a few curses around a bite of pancake and glared at his older brother before sipping at his coffee.

“Good morning, Cronus. I believe there’s still coffee in the pot, unless Eridan got all of it before you,” Darian said, putting a plate together for Cronus before setting it down in front of him.

“Thank God,” the male exclaimed, heading over to the pot and pouring the rest of the black elixir into a mug. He kept his coffee black as he went back to the island, sitting next to his brother and digging into his food.

“You seem to be in a good mood, unlike your brother,” Darian commented, fixing himself a plate of food and tossing Eridan a sideways glance.

“Oh definitely! It’s America- a new place. I’m excited to go to school and maybe meet ‘The One’,” Cronus responded, a bright smile gracing his features. Eridan rolled his eyes at his brother as he finished his food off, standing and putting his plate in the sink.

“You know the rules, Cronus. This is a gang and you know letting yourself fall for someone will only cause trouble,” Darian said, his voice harsh as he looked at his eldest son.

“Yeah, yeah. Doesn’t mean I can’t look or maybe even touch.” Cronus continued eating, not catching the look between Eridan and their father. Cronus had always been the type to go after people, despite the fact that he was still a virgin. He enjoyed talking himself up, much to the annoyance of his family.

“We all know you’re a ragin’ virgin, Cro,” Eridan muttered, earning an elbow to the side from his brother. “Ow! What the fuck?” He growled, rubbing his wounded side with a pout.

“You totally deserved it, Eri. Besides, you haven’t even had your first kiss!” Cronus laughed, pointing a finger at his younger brother.

“Yeah, because unlike you, I actually listen to what Dad says,” Eridan growled, glaring at the other.

“Boys!” Darian suddenly boomed, causing Eridan and Cronus to jump. “Cut it out. Eridan, go get ready for school. Cronus, finish your breakfast.”

The two nodded and Eridan went upstairs to shower and get ready for his first day of school- a public school, no less. He’d heard a lot about public schools. They were wild and no one had control over the children, plus the food tasted horrid. Eridan couldn’t fathom why his father would put his sons into the torture that was public school.

The youngest Ampora put on a violet button down, black skinny jeans, and a grey jacket. He placed his glasses on his face before moving on to the bathroom to do his hair. Once his black locks were slicked back and the small splash of purple was vivid enough, Eridan deemed himself fit to go downstairs.

He grabbed his messenger bag and wallet before heading down, noticing his father holding two travel mugs of coffee for the boys.

“You truly are a God-send, Dad,” Eridan muttered with a small smile.

“Yes, I know,” Darian smirked before looking upstairs. “Cronus went to go change his shirt.”

The youngest’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”

“He spilled coffee on it shortly after you left,” Darian responded.

Eridan snorted, knowing it was bound to happen at some point. Cronus was usually messy when it came to food, so it came as no surprise. Though, while Cronus was upstairs, Eridan knew it was a good time to question his father about why he had picked out the particular school he did.

“So out of all the schools, why public?” He asked.

Darian sighed, running a rough hand over his face before looking at Eridan. “I’ve heard word that Melissa Serket’s girls go to a public school. I’m just hoping it’s this one, if not, we’ll try a few more and if those don’t work either, I’ll get you and Cronus enrolled in a private school.”

“Thank God,” Eridan muttered, sending up a quick prayer that the Serket’s wouldn’t attend a public school.  They seemed much too pretentious to actually attend anything other than something private anyway.

“Just give it a chance, Eridan; you’re so quick to hate new things,” Darian responded, his thick eyebrows furrowing and his blue eyes growing hard.

“Yeah, yeah. Are we goin’ or not?” Eridan asked, grabbing the travel mug out of his father’s hand and taking a sip. He was ready to get the day over with, with no signs of the Serket's.

“I’m going to stay in here and wait for your brother. Go ahead and get in the car,” Darian said, absentmindedly. “Also, you’re to come straight home after school. I have a run you and a few others are to go on.”

“Fine.” Eridan walked out the door and into the cool morning. A breeze softly graced his face, making him close his eyes for a moment. He couldn’t help but be reminded of Scotland- except he wasn’t there any longer.  The smells were too vastly different, as were the early morning noises.

With the effect ruined, Eridan opened his eyes and went to his father’s customized violet Mercedes-Benz, climbing into the passenger seat and sitting with his arms crossed over his chest. Yeah, his father definitely wasn’t going to draw attention to himself or anything- what with a large house and a Mercedes.

The Ampora's were used to being a rich family and didn’t know the first thing about blending in with ‘normal’ society, not that Eridan wanted to. He was perfectly content being filthy rich, though he did enjoy helping others out. The teenager wasn’t completely heartless.

Eventually Darian and Cronus came out as well, the latter fuming in anger at the fact that he had to change his brand new shirt. Not only that, but due to his being late, he also had to sit in the back. Things definitely weren’t going his way, much to Eridan's enjoyment.

“Alright, do both of you have everything?” Darian asked, starting the car and looking his sons up and down.

The boys nodded wordlessly, both staring out the window. Cronus was in a horrible mood, while Eridan simply hated it where he was. He knew his father had told him not to judge the new place so harshly, but Eridan couldn’t help it. There was a bad feeling he never got in Scotland. Something was going to happen and he needed to know what it was.

It took twenty minutes for Darian to get to Cronus and Eridan’s new school. Students were pouring in like bugs heading toward a crumb. The latter made a disgusted face at the sight and turned away, facing his father.

“I don’t want to go in there, Dad. Look at how crazy these fuckers look!” Eridan exclaimed, his blue eyes hard.

“You’re going to go in there or I’ll make you train the new members yourself,” Darian responded, his accent shining through thickly in his voice.

“You’re so unfair. God!” the teenager growled before throwing the car door open and getting out of the car. He didn’t bother saying goodbye to his father or waiting for his brother. He simply wanted to be away from them for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I described one of those boring morning chapters, but I think this gave a good look at how the Ampora's work. Don't worry, more characters will be introduced in the next chapter!


	3. New Kid

The school was beginning to empty, students finding their way to class and not giving Eridan a passing glance.

The teenager stood at the entrance of the school with his nose buried in his schedule and a confusing school map. Was he actually supposed to simply know how the map worked? It was much too confusing to understand. He felt the need to ask someone, but no one was around by the time he actually looked up. The light hallways were deserted, save for pieces of paper and trash that needed to be picked up. Eridan knew he probably needed to go to the office, but he was much too prideful to actually ask for help.

Instead, he stuck his nose back into the paper and prepared to miss half of his first class- English. However, a blob suddenly bumped into his shoulder, nearly knocking him off his feet as a female began apologizing quickly.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I’m running so late and I-“ the female paused, her eyebrows furrowing as her head tilted slightly to the side. “I don’t recognize you. Are you new here?”

“Uh, yeah,” Eridan responded, wondering just how small the school had to have been if this girl didn’t recognize him.

“Ah! I figured as much!” the female exclaimed, a smile breaking out over her face. She had vivid brown eyes and beautiful dark skin, with long, flowing hair that framed her round face perfectly. “My name’s Feferi Peixes!” she gushed, holding out a hand.

Eridan cocked a brow and reached out his own pale, ring clad hand, shaking hers. He definitely thought Feferi was cute, but he didn’t want to say that, nor did he want to talk with her any longer; she already seemed much too peppy for him. “Eridan Ampora.”

Once again, Feferi’s head cocked to the side. “You have an accent? What is it? I can’t quite put my finger on it,” she said, curiosity filling her voice as her deep brown eyes searched him.

“Scottish. That’s where I came from, actually,” Eridan responded, sounding quite disinterested in the conversation, though Feferi didn’t quite pick up on that.

“That sounds amazing! W-“ she was suddenly cut off by the bell ringing, signaling that the two students were late to class. “Ah, shit!” Feferi turned to look at the other. “You don’t know where you’re going, do you?”

“Nope,” Eridan said, popping the ‘p’ as he looked down at his schedule and map once more. He wondered if Cronus had managed just fine or if he also had to have someone help him out.

“Let me see your schedule,” Feferi said quickly, snatching the paper out of his hands and taking a look at it through her large glasses. “Ah! You have English with me! Come on, I’ll show you where it is,” she said with a smile, handing the paper back to him and grabbing his wrist, leading him up the stairs and to a classroom down a brightly lit hallway. They stopped in front of a door on the left labeled ‘English- Tanner’.

“Don’t worry about us being late. As long as you’re with me, Mr. Tanner won’t care. I’m his best student,” she said proudly.

Eridan simply nodded, letting her walk into the classroom first with the other following close behind.

The teacher, Mr. Tanner, along with all the students in the room, looked up when Eridan and Feferi stepped in. Mr. Tanner was a balding man with trimmed facial hair and a slim figure. He looked tired and absolutely done with his students, however his face brightened slightly when he saw Feferi enter.

“Hey, Mr. Tanner! I’m sorry I’m late, I was just showing Eridan here around. He’s new,” Feferi said, the bright smile returning to her face as she walked in further.

Eridan managed a smile and small wave before heading over to Mr. Tanner’s desk. Feferi went to her seat, though the teenager could still feel her eyes boring into his back. What was her deal?

“Welcome, Mr. Ampora. Why don’t you grab a textbook from the back cabinets and I’ll get you the syllabus and this month’s book. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, please don’t feel bad. Be sure to take notes, though. We are having a test on _Lord of the Flies;_  have you read that one?” Mr. Tanner asked.

The teenager nodded. He’d most definitely read that book, five times to be precise.

“Good. You should do well on this course then. We just started the book and today we’re reading chapter one together and doing a questionnaire,” Mr. Tanner smiled. “Go ahead and grab the textbook, and…” He looked around the room, eyebrows knitting together. “And take a seat by Ms. Peixes. That will be your assigned seat for the rest of the semester.”

Eridan nodded once more, though groaned internally at the fact that he’d be stuck sitting next to the peppy girl for the rest of the year. However, he kept his face passive and walked to the back of the class, ignoring the curious gazes from the rest of the students. He grabbed his new textbook and went over to his seat, plopping down and keeping his eyes forward.

Mr. Tanner went over to him, handing him a brand new copy of _Lord of the Flies_ and the class syllabus before going back to the front and diving into his lecture. The students quickly became bored, the majority either falling asleep or writing notes to one another. Eridan and Feferi were the only ones paying attention. Eridan had always put a lot of time and effort into his studies, and took great pride in all of his passing grades. He wasn’t about to let everything drop because of the move.

As they read through the first chapter and Mr. Tanner began asking questions, Eridan found himself raising his hand, knowing the answers to every single question. Feferi was the same. By the end of the class their teacher had a large grin on his face, knowing Eridan’s arrival would most definitely be a good thing.

“Alright class, the bell’s about to ring. Remember to take note of how Mr. Ampora and Ms. Peixes answered questions,” Mr. Tanner said to the class after assigning homework. He then turned to Eridan and Feferi, “Ten bonus points to you both for not making my life a living Hell.” The bell then rang and the class packed up their things.

Eridan stuffed his books into his messenger bag, placing it over his shoulder and standing. He moved swiftly out of the classroom and almost ran into Feferi for the second time that morning.

“You’re really smart!” she exclaimed, a look of wonder in her brown eyes.

The two moved to the side as students began shuffling past, trying to reach their next class quickly.

“Thanks,” Eridan responded simply, his face back in his schedule.

Once again, Feferi grabbed the paper from Eridan’s hands, looking to see what his next class was. She scrunched up her face when she saw just what was next, ‘PE- Jameson’.

“Ew. I’d skip PE today.” Feferi shrugged, handing the paper back to him.

“Why?” Eridan asked, suspiciously, thanking his lucky stars that he’d brought his knife and kept it to his thigh, just in case anyone tried anything. Being in a gang left one on their toes at all times. He didn’t trust this girl.

“Well first, because you don’t have your proper uniform for it. It’s a white t-shirt and white shorts, you need to go to the office and, even then, they’ll have to order you the clothes. Second, you seem really stressed out and Coach Jameson doesn’t seem like the type of guy you need to be around. Third… well, I really want to get to know you,” Feferi said, a light blush tinting her face. “There’s a building at the back of the school that we can hang out behind. Maybe we could talk as well?”

Eridan squinted at the female, but agreed anyway. He knew if she tried anything, he could take her. “Yeah, of course. We should probably go to the office first, though.”

Feferi squealed softly and jumped up and down lightly, before flinging her hand toward her slightly. “Come on!”

The male followed her to the office, getting everything sorted out before going to the back of the school, away from the gymnasium, and out the doors. The day had definitely warmed up, with the sun shining, and birds tweeting shrill songs. Eridan automatically felt relaxed.

The two walked to the back building, stepping behind it. Eridan leaned against the side of the building and tilted his head back, absorbing as much sunlight as he could. With a soft sigh, he reached into his bag and pulled out a pack of cigarettes that one of the gang members had bought him. He knew he wasn’t allowed to smoke, but it was one of the lovely perks of being in a gang. However, he knew he’d be in deep shit if he got caught by someone that was unaware.

Feferi raised her thin brows at the teenager as he lit the cigarette, taking a deep drag and letting the smoke fill his lungs. He held it for a moment before letting it fall out of his mouth. Eventually he looked over at the other, a small smirk finding its way to his features.

Feferi smiled. “Could I have a few hits of that?”

Eridan was taken aback, to say the least. Feferi definitely didn’t seem like the type to smoke cigarettes. “Sure.” He took one more drag before handing the cancer stick over to her, watching as she took a drag of her own in a similar fashion before handing it back.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “So tell me about yourself.”

The male raised his brows. “What do you want to know?”

“Any and everything. Hmm, first I guess I’m curious to know why you moved here,” Feferi responded.

Eridan shrugged as he took another drag from his cigarette. “Needed a change of scenery, I guess. Or rather, my Dad did,” he said as he exhaled, watching the smoke fade into the air in various twists and turns.

Feferi nodded. “I’m assuming you don’t like it here.”

Was it that obvious? Of course, Eridan never really hid things he despised. Instead of lying, he nodded. “Yeah, I really do. Most of the people are shit, the school is pretty much shit… I just miss Scotland, I guess.”

“I can tell. That’s how I feel about Hawaii, honestly,” Feferi responded sadly.

Eridan tilted his head slightly. He hadn’t pegged her as Hawaiian. “When did you move?”

“Six years ago, but even now I still miss it,” she said sadly, her eyes becoming soft as she sighed, holding out her hand for the cigarette.

The male handed it over, almost feeling sorry for the other as he watched her black lips move over the filter and sucked in.

“Why did you have to move?” he asked.

“My Mom killed my Dad,” she said with a slight shrug, causing Eridan to sputter.

“What?” he asked, not expecting such an answer, especially one that was so straightforward.

“Yup. He was really abusive toward her and she finally fought back, but when she did, well, she kind of snapped his neck.” She took another drag of the cigarette before handing it back to Eridan.

The male took it back and took a drag of his own. How could he not after hearing that news? He wondered if that was the actual story or if it was something else.

“I’m sorry?” he said, eyebrows furrowing.

“Oh, it’s okay! He was a piece of shit and, honestly, I’m glad he’s dead.” Feferi paused, looking at the grass for a moment before jumping back into her questioning. “What’s your family like?”

“My Dad is a hard ass and my brother is a hopeless flirt,” Eridan responded, wondering how Feferi remained so happy and peppy despite the fact that she’d had such a rough time with an abusive father.

“Oh, you have a brother? What about your mother?” she asked.

“Yeah, he’s a year older than me- a senior here, actually. You’ll probably see him around when he tries to hit on you,” Eridan muttered, paling slightly when his mother was brought up. Unlike Feferi’s father, Eridan’s mother had been kind and loving. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met and he missed her dearly. “My Mom’s not in the picture,” he added on, not looking at her. Instead he took another drag of his cigarette, flicking the ashes off the end.

“I’m sorry…” Feferi whispered, catching on that his mother was most definitely a touchy subject.

“It’s okay. Trust me; I’ve dealt with a lot of loss in my life, so I guess my Mom was nothin’ new,” Eridan said, handing the cigarette back to the other and deciding to let her have it.

The two fell in an awkward silence, with Eridan staring at the ground and Feferi finishing off the cigarette. He wasn’t quite sure what to say, though he knew that he didn’t want to continue talking about deceased parents. Luckily, Feferi had more questions in her arsenal.

“So you said your brother will try to hit on me? Does he do that to everyone?” Feferi asked, a light smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“Pretty much. If he thinks anyone’s attractive, he’ll try to get into their pants. It never fails,” Eridan muttered with a roll of his eyes.

“I’m assuming there’s been bad experiences with that?” she asked.

“Yeah. He once tried to hit on someone I liked, so I nearly beat him to death with a fishing pole when my family went fishing. The hook caught his back and left a pretty decent gash,” Eridan said, a dark smirk gracing his features as he recalled the experience.

“Oh my God! I’m sorry that happened! I bet he knows not to mess with people you like now, though,” Feferi commented, her brown eyes wide.

“Ha, yeah right. He backed off for a month and then he was back at it. The guy just doesn’t give up.” Eridan sank to the ground, making himself comfortable.

“I wouldn’t get too comfy; class is going to be ending soon,” Feferi said with a small giggle as Eridan groaned.

He was definitely beginning to warm up to the female. It was obvious she wasn’t involved in a gang. She was just overexcited and quite bubbly. Eridan knew there was nothing wrong with that, he had simply needed something to complain about.

“What’s your next class?” she asked as Eridan stood back up.

“Biology with Mrs. Price,” he answered, having memorized his classes.

“Ah, I’ll have Geometry by then, so we won’t be together. Let me think, though…” The female went quiet for a moment, thinking hard about which of her friends the same class as Eridan. “Ah! You’ll have that class with Equius and Nepeta! They’re both really sweet, though you’ll have to watch out for Nepeta. Think about how excitable I get and multiply that by fifty.”

“Oh God,” Eridan moaned, rolling his eyes but managing a smirk at the other. Despite that, he was still cringing on the inside. The teenager wasn’t sure how many overexcited females he would be able to deal with.

The bell then rang as Feferi laughed. “Come on, Eri-fin! I’ll show you where your next class is!”

“Eri-fin?” Eridan questioned.

“Yeah! I give all of my friends’ fish-based nicknames,” Feferi grinned, grabbing Eridan’s wrist and leading him back inside quickly.

While Eridan knew he had orders against becoming associated with friendships, he simply couldn’t hold back the warmth that filled him at being called a friend so early on.  It was the first of many future instances where his father would be disobeyed.


	4. Friendly Competition

Eridan Ampora wasn’t used to people coming up to him in excitement. When he lived in Scotland, he didn’t have any friends- the gang was a family, and even then, they weren’t too close. Eridan had always distanced himself from people, never letting himself get close to anyone.

New York was different. He wanted to get close to the people he met in the public school that he desperately wanted to hate. He wanted to befriend Feferi and get close to her, learn everything about her, and have the friendship he’d never experienced. The teenager knew it wouldn’t be wise to do so, but it was growing to the point where he couldn’t help it.

Eridan was close to asking Feferi if she wanted to come over, however he remembered his prior engagements, plus the fact that everyone and their mother was completely intimidated by Darian; with Darian on his mind, he knew the man would be completely closed down to potential friends coming over, and would result in endless lectures and harsh punishments. Eridan knew he couldn’t do it. If anything, they would’ve had to have met somewhere else. Eridan began formulating different ideas based on movies he’d seen. Friends or lovers in a dangerous situation would have to meet in secret and one character was usually hiding a large secret. It described Eridan to a tee as he could never tell anyone about his life in a gang.

The Aquarius was completely lost in thought, trying to come up with different methods when a dark hand suddenly appeared in front of his face. Eridan shook his head slightly and focused in on Feferi, who had a concerned but humored look on her face.

“Are you okay, Eri-fin?” she asked, curiosity in her voice.

“Yeah, of course. I was just thinking about some things and completely zoned out,” Eridan responded, trying to stop a blush from creeping onto his features. He’d always been the type to zone out at the most inopportune times- much to his father’s chagrin.

Feferi giggled. “Well, I was trying to let you know that this is your classroom. I’m going to be directly down the hall in Geometry. You have fun with Equius and Nepeta,” she said as the warning bell rang. “I have to go now. Bye!”

Eridan simply waved at her and turned to face the door to his Biology classroom. He wasn’t sure how he would react to Nepeta, but he was sure it’d be nothing short of annoyance. The teenager definitely wasn’t looking forward to the class.

Still, he walked in, taking a seat toward the front and setting his messenger bag down next to him. Though he always passed his classes, Biology was usually a difficult class for him. Normally he enjoyed dabbling in English or History, not the sciences. However, he was determined to pass the class with flying colors- gang or not, he was a damn good student.

The teacher, Mrs. Price, came into the classroom looking haggard. She was a light-skinned woman with black hair and hard grey eyes. The woman looked like she had seen her fair share of crazy things in her life, which made Eridan’s respect for her rise automatically.

“Alright class, before I have all of you go back to your projects- that are due next week, mind you- I want to introduce a new student,” Mrs. Price said, keeping her eyes on a sheet of paper, which Eridan assumed had his information on it. “Eridan Ampora? Stand, please.” Her grey eyes left the paper as she searched the room of faces, her eyes falling on the black-haired male.

Eridan did as he was asked, standing with his back straight and chin raised slightly.

“Go ahead and say hello, dear,” the teacher said, giving the male a soft smile.

“Hello,” Eridan muttered, his eyebrows furrowing. He hadn’t had to stand and say hello to anyone in English. The once rising opinion he had for Mrs. Price diminished quickly. If there was one thing he hated, it was drawing unnecessary attention to himself.

“Why don’t you tell us something about yourself, Mr. Ampora,” Mrs. Price said, sitting at her own desk and lacing her fingers together.

The teenager very nearly rolled his eyes, however when he looked around the class he caught a small girl staring at him with large green eyes. She had dark skin and a curious smile on her face. It was almost as if she _wanted_ to hear what Eridan had to say. At that moment, he knew the girl was Nepeta. She was much too excited looking.

Eridan opened his mouth to speak and tell the class something about himself, but found he was drawing a blank. What was there to say? There was absolutely nothing of value that he could talk about. He thought about bringing up the fact that he was in a gang as a joke, but he was sure public school students wouldn’t understand the humor of it.

Instead, the teenager scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. “I’m smart.”

His comment earned a few groans and eye rolls from the other students, but a shrug from Mrs. Price. She gestured for him to sit down, and he happily did so. He wanted to shiver at the adolescent eyes on him. Eridan briefly wondered how Cronus was milking being a new kid… or how many people had punched him in the face.

“Thank you for speaking, Mr. Ampora. You can have a free period to read over the textbook on the section we’re going over. Once you’re done, I’ll give you a quiz, and if you pass you can begin working on the project along with your classmates,” the teacher said before turning to a large stack of papers.

“And where can I find the textbook?” Eridan asked, but before the woman in front could answer, the green-eyed girl he had noticed prior bounded up to him, a beat up Biology textbook in her hands.

“Here! I went ahead and got one for you!” she exclaimed, her voice high with a slight squeak to it.

“Uhm, thanks,” Eridan responded, taking the book from the female.

“I’m Nepeta. Obviously I know you’re new, but not from Mrs. Price. Fefurri texted me!” Nepeta said, a bright smile on her face.

“I see. Well, Feferi told me you’d be in this class- she said you’d be excited,” the teenager said, forcing a smile to his face. Once again, he wasn’t sure about Nepeta, however there was a nagging in the back of his mind that told him to get over himself. Not everyone in the school- or world- was out to get him.

“Really! Oh, I love Fefurri so much! Isn’t she great?” Nepeta asked, but continued speaking before the other could get an answer in. “You have a really nice voice- oh!” She leaned in further, so close their noses were almost touching. Eridan was simply too surprised to lean back. “Your eyes are so blue and beautiful!”

“Nepeta,” a low voice suddenly rang out. A male had appeared behind Nepeta- a Native man with long black hair and a chiseled jaw. “It seems you are frightening him. Besides, we need to work on our project. I do not wish to fail again.”

Nepeta rolled her eyes. “Oh hush, Equi-hiss.” She turned her attention back to Eridan. “This is my best furr-end, Equius! He seems mean, but he’s really nice once you get to know him.”

Eridan nodded at the large male beside Nepeta and wondered if he used puns of any kind, as it seemed it was a trend- Feferi with fish puns and Nepeta with cat puns.

“It’s a pleasure,” Equius said distractedly to Eridan before turning back to his friend. “Nepeta, we really need to work on our project.”

“Ugh, fine! I’ll see you later, Eridan!” She grinned at the new student and sauntered away, almost like a big cat on the prowl.

Eridan shook his head at the exchange, hoping no one else would act in such a manner. He then turned his attention to the textbook laying on his desk, getting into his work quickly.

^^^

Before Eridan knew it, the bell had rang, signaling the passing period. He packed up his things and walked out before Nepeta could catch up with him, however he- once again- nearly ran head long into Feferi.

The female laughed. “We need to stop doing that!” She wore a bright smile, though her eyes were beginning to look tired. Eridan wondered what classes she was taking to make her so tired so early on in the day. He was close to asking when she beat him to the questioning, “So what class do you have next?”

“History with Mrs. Asbell,” Eridan responded, stepping away from the entrance of the Biology classroom so the students could exit with ease.

Feferi grimaced. “Oh dear. Your next class is with Sollux.”

“Sollux?” Eridan asked, wanting to scrunch up his nose at the name itself.

“Yeah.  He’s um, interesting,” she said distractedly. “Your class is going to be down the hall and to the right, okay? I have to go to the office and help out with a few things. I’ll see you!” And without another word, she was gone.

Eridan tilted his head to the side slightly, wondering why Feferi had suddenly begun acting strange. Did she and Sollux have a bad past? Had he hurt her? Was he just not a likable kid? The teenager found himself asking tons of questions in his head as he made his way to Mrs. Asbell’s class.

He walked into the room with two minutes to spare. It was empty save for a few skater guys in the back, their hair long with cheesy smiles on their faces; in the front sat a scrawny blond kid, his face glued to a computer screen as he typed furiously. Eridan got rather strong vibes that he was looking at Sollux. At first glance he didn’t look too bad, so he couldn’t fathom why Feferi would have reacted the way she did.

The teenager walked further into the room, deciding to sit a few desks away from the pale male. Eridan watched him from the corner of his eye, trying to sneak glances at what he was doing from his laptop. Unfortunately for Eridan, he wasn’t as sneaky as he thought he was.

“Can I help you?” the male asked, his voice slightly deeper than Eridan had expected.

“Uh, no, sorry,” the blackette responded, facing forward.

He saw the other shake his head out of the corner of his eye and Eridan felt the urge to lean over and slap the hell out of him, but refrained, knowing fighting on the first day wouldn’t go over well with anyone- especially not his father.

The male turned to face him. “Really, can I help you, or do you just have a staring problem?” The teenager noticed a strong lisp escaping the student’s mouth, though didn’t say anything about it.

“No, you can’t help me. Not like I’d want your help anyway,” Eridan shot back.

Sollux raised his brows, slightly taken aback but looking quite impressed. He shrugged and went back to his laptop as the bell rang.

A small looking woman entered the room, said a quick hello to Eridan before grabbing a book and the class syllabus for him. He felt gratitude that she hadn’t made him stand and say hello or introduce himself and only hoped the rest of his classes would be the same.

“Now Eridan, I know this is your first day, so if you don’t know an answer, please don’t feel pressured to answer anything, and- Sollux, could you please put your laptop away? I swear we do this every day,” the woman began, though stopped when she noticed the lanky male still fiddling around with his computer.

Sollux sighed, rolling his eyes but putting his computer away anyway. He looked more than a little annoyed, however he didn’t cause a commotion. It surprised Eridan when he didn’t, as Sollux looked like the type of student that would whine and cry if he didn’t get his way.

“Now, as I was saying; don’t feel pressured to answer anything, no one else does. In fact, Sollux is the only one in the class that actually answers any of my questions.” The woman looked slightly saddened by what she had said, however Eridan knew he could brighten her day. History was, after all, his best subject.

The teenager nodded and sat back, preparing himself to answer as many questions as possible. He knew he could do it, it was simply a matter of beating Sollux to it. If the kid was as good as Mrs. Asbell stated, it would be slightly difficult, but Eridan was always up for a good challenge.

“Alright, who remembers where we left off yesterday?” she asked and in response Sollux’s hand shot up.

“The Roman Empire and how it has affected the world today,” he answered, lisp shining through.

“Very good. Now, let’s start with a slightly vile, but humorous question. What were the Romans favorite method of execution?” Mrs. Asbell asked.

“They were stung to death,” Sollux said quickly, a bored expression resting on his face.

“Good, good. Alright, at what age did wealthy children start school?” she asked.

Eridan’s hand shot up, but before the woman could call on him, he spoke, “Age seven.”

The woman looked surprised, but pleased all at once. Sollux seemed to be more than a little annoyed that someone was challenging him on his turf.

“What river flowed through Rome?” the woman asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Tiber!” Sollux all but shouted, raising a brow at Eridan who grew even more determined to outdo the other.

“Great! How many people were in the Rome senate?”

“Six-hundred!” the males yelled at the same time, startling most of the students in class, as well as one another.

The two looked at one another incredulously for a moment before breaking out into smiles. Eridan had respect for anyone that was able to answer questions so quickly when it came to History. He wanted to get to know the other more, perhaps even become friends with him.

“Well done, you two!” Mrs. Asbell exclaimed before going into her lecture. She didn’t hold back in assigning Eridan homework, which he didn’t feel anything but excitement about. The rest of his classes had given him a free pass and he hated that. He _knew_ what he was doing.

The rest of the class passed with Eridan and Sollux passing glances at one another, curiosity in both their eyes. They finished their work in record time, fifteen minutes before the bell rang. Eridan silently hoped Sollux would try talking to him, however his hopes were dashed when the blond simply pulled out his laptop, typing away furiously- just as he was before the class had started.

When the bell finally rang, the students packed their things quickly before hustling out of the room, going to talk to their friends before heading to their next class. Eridan, on the other hand, moved slower than everyone else. He didn’t want to deal with the traffic of students at the door, plus he needed to formulate an idea on how to get to his next class on his own, unless Feferi was waiting for him as she had for the rest of his classes.

He stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder and taking a few steps before Sollux appeared in front of him, an almost annoyed look resting on his face.

Eridan cocked a brow toward the shorter male, but didn’t say anything.

“What’s your next class? FF texted me and said she couldn’t help you get to your next one because she has to do more work in the office or whatever. So yeah, I’ve been assigned to new kid duty,” he said, voice monotone.

At first Eridan was confused at ‘FF’, but he quickly put together that the male in front of him was referring to Feferi. Did she really not like being around Sollux? If that were the case, why would she text him? Was it Eridan? He tried to block out the thought that Feferi had completely changed her mind about him and now wanted nothing to do with him. He knew it wasn’t a good thought process to have, despite the fact that he knew someone like her didn’t need to be in his life anyway.

“My next class is Algebra 2 with Mr. Clayton,” Eridan answered, his voice sounding distant.

Sollux rolled his eyes, moving his circular glasses out of the way as he squeezed the bridge of his nose lightly. “Great, you have that one with me. Come on, Ampora,” the male said, however Eridan could detect something else within the other’s voice. It almost sounded like the student was slightly pleased at the fact that the two would be sharing another class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm drawing out the first day of school, however if it was all one chapter the word count would've been 6,000-8,000 words long. Ain't nobody got time for that.
> 
> I'd love to hear all of your thoughts on this, though!


	5. Vriska Serket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There are homophobic slurs in this chapter.

Algebra 2 passed by quickly for Eridan due to Sollux’s presence. The two kept up the small competition they had going on, though instead of growing angry if one beat the other to it, they would simply laugh it off and try harder. Both of them could feel something growing between them, however Eridan wasn’t sure if it was the feeling of friendship or not. It was similar to what he was feeling toward Feferi.

The class ended with Mr. Clayton assigning ten problems for homework- including Eridan in the mix. The teenager knew he’d be able to breeze through the work with ease, however he found that he didn’t have time to work on the homework in class. Just as he was about to the bell rang. Eridan rolled his eyes before packing up while Sollux moved to the side of his desk, holding his own bag over his shoulder.

“You know Ampora, you aren’t too bad,” Sollux said with a slight shrug.

Eridan found himself surprised, but gave the other a small smile anyhow. “Thanks. You too.”

“So, do you want to sit with FF and me at lunch? We have other friends that sit there too, but they’re all cool,” Sollux asked, shuffling his feet slightly. Eridan grew under the impression that Feferi had forced the blonde to ask, but he was thankful for it as the last thing the new student wanted to do was sit alone at lunch.

“Yeah, of course,” Eridan responded, earning a nod from Sollux.

The males made their way to the lunch room. They were slightly late in arriving as the lines for food were pouring into the hallway. Sollux groaned at the sight and turned to the other.

“Do you want to sit and then get food when the line dies down? I’d rather not deal with this bullshit.” He gestured to the students talking animatedly among themselves as they waited to get their food.

Eridan nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with Sollux. He couldn’t fathom why a public school would only have one line for lunch. Even he knew there should’ve been at least two to help the traffic of hungry students. However the last thing he wanted to do was voice that; he knew Sollux would think he was crazy for even thinking up such things.

“Come on. We usually sit in the back- it’s quieter there,” the blond said, moving through a few people to get inside the room before making a beeline to the back of the cafeteria where a group of eight students sat, chatting and eating.

Sollux approached the table with ease, plopping down next to an Asian female with long brown hair and beautiful eyes. He kissed her cheek before turning to Feferi.

“Hey, FF, your new-found BFF is here,” he said before turning his attention back to the female that appeared to be his girlfriend.

Feferi looked up at Eridan, a bright smile appearing on her features. “Sit, sit!” she exclaimed to the male before getting the rest of the table’s attention. Eridan recognized Nepeta and Equius, but no one else. They all turned to look at him with slight judgment in their eyes. Still, Eridan did as he was asked, seating himself on the other side of Sollux and intertwining his fingers together. “Guys, this is Eridan! He’s new- from Scotland.”

A female with red and black hair squinted at Eridan, leaning forward and sniffing him before moving back. “You smell good. And you’re really attractive from what I can tell. Hell, you’re in!” she exclaimed, a goofy smile appearing on her face.

The new student looked at Feferi, confusion lacing his features. The female simply giggled.

“Her name is Terezi. She has pretty bad eyesight so she goes around sniffing people. I don’t understand it, but it’s her method of getting to know people- honestly, she’s kind of like a dog in that sense,” Feferi shrugged, answering Eridan’s unasked question.

The teenager nodded, though still found himself rather confused. He’d never met anyone like Terezi- or really any of the people that he’d come across in his first day of public school.

“And then the girl Sollux is currently making out with is Aradia Megido. She’s obsessed with bones and just overall death,” Feferi said, pointing to the brunette Asian that Sollux had locked lips with. Eridan looked quickly before averting his gaze just as fast. He’d never felt too comfortable when watching people’s public displays of affection, nor did he understand why they would do it in the first place. Eridan was a firm believer of things of that magnitude to be kept in private.

“Yeah, they do that a lot,” the female said, glancing at the others before turning her attention back to Eridan. “The kid sitting next to me is Karkat Vantas. He’s well- grumpy and really shouty.” Feferi nudged a boy with messy black hair in the side, though his brown eyes were trained on a trashy $5.00 romance novel.

Karkat grunted and nudged the female back, muttering a few curse words under his breath.

“Karkat, say hi to the new kid,” Feferi growled softly.

Karkat looked up, glaring at Eridan. “Hi.”

Eridan raised a brow at the other, crossing his arms over his chest as he returned Karkat’s glare. He definitely wasn’t sure how to feel about the small kid that was obviously better than everyone else- at least, that’s how it came across to Eridan.

“Oh my God, Karkat, will you put down that piece of shit and actually start up a conversation?” Terezi growled, her mouth full of food.

Karkat scoffed at her, “I’ll put down my _book_ if you start chewing with your mouth closed. Besides, it’s not a piece of shit, it’s an amazing work by an amazing author. She knows so much about love- almost more than me.”

“If you know so much about love, why are you still single?” Terezi asked, a light smirk on her lips.

Karkat’s face brightened considerably as he began sputtering, “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Fu-fuck you, Terezi!” He brought the romance novel up to cover his tomato red face.

Eridan’s eyes widened as he looked at the cover. He knew the book. “Hey, I’ve read that.”

Karkat’s gaze suddenly went from Terezi to the new kid, his eyebrows furrowing. “Oh, ha ha, fuck you!”

“No really. That’s the one with the vampire and the ditsy girl, right?” Eridan said quickly.

“Y-yeah. Holy fuck, you do know it,” Karkat muttered before leaning forward. “Okay, so the guy is a fucking asshole, right? Like, abuse much? How stupid can this girl get?”

“I know! And the fact that she keeps goin’ back to him is fuckin’ ridiculous!” Eridan responded, gesturing with his hands to prove his point.

“ _Exactly_!” Karkat growled, opening his mouth to continue speaking on the plot of the novel, however Terezi spoke up first.

“Oh my God, you two should just go get a room now!” she practically shouted before shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth.

The males’ faces went red as they looked away from one another. Of course Eridan wasn’t crushing on Karkat, how could he crush on someone he just met? No, instead he found himself embarrassed at the situation. If there was one thing Eridan hated it was being called out- loudly- by someone. Instead of responding to Terezi, he turned his attention to Feferi.

The female smiled widely at him as she took out a container, opening it and revealing the contents to be fish. Eridan’s mouth instantly started watering at the sight. He’d always loved fish- in fact, it was all he used to eat as a child.

Feferi caught Eridan staring and practically salivating. She giggled before pushing the container toward him. “Do you want a piece? My mom always packs more than I can eat.”

Eridan looked up at her, a smile crawling to his face and he nodded gratefully. “God yes. Anythin’ but school lunch.”

She pulled out a fork, grabbing a mouthful for herself before handing it over to Eridan, who graciously forked his half in his mouth. Karkat made a disgusted face, shaking his head before going back to his novel.

“How can you guys eat that shit?” Sollux asked, covering his nose.

“You’re such a drama queen, Sollux. Last night you were going on about how much you loved my mom’s cooking,” Aradia laughed, an incredulous look on her face.

“Yeah, so?” Sollux asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Do you not know what you were eating?” the brunette asked.

“Chicken?”

“No! It was fish, Sollux,” Aradia laughed as she took in Sollux’s disgusted expression.

“Oh God. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in the bathroom puking.” The blond made way to get up, but was stopped by Aradia grabbing his arm and pulling him back down whilst laughing.

Eridan smiled at the two before handing the fork back to Feferi. As he did so, he heard a long, drawing voice to his left.

“Come oooooooon, Tavros! We’re already running late because of you,” the feminine voice groaned.

Eridan looked over, noticing a female with dirty blonde hair and dull grey eyes coming their way. She was being followed by a Latino boy with a fluffy Mohawk carrying two backpacks and three textbooks in his thin arms. He almost looked to be thinner than Sollux, which was near impossible.

The female walked right up to Eridan before looking down at him and freezing. She stared at the new kid for a moment before looking at the others. “What’s this fairy doing in my seat?”

Feferi rolled her eyes. “Be nice. He’s new; he didn’t know.”

“And you did tell him, why?” she asked, resting a hand on her narrow hip.

“Because no one here likes you, Vriska,” Terezi cackled, earning nervous smiles from Feferi and Nepeta, whose attention was drawn away from Equius. Everyone at the table looked quite uncomfortable with the situation. Even Karkat, who had finally drawn his attention away from his book to see what the commotion was about.

“Shut the fuck up, Terezi,” the female growled before turning her attention back to Eridan. “Get up. That’s my seat.”

Eridan looked around, searching for a name as if to mock the blonde. “Yeah, sorry, I don’t see your fuckin’ name on it. Why don’t you find a different seat?”

The blonde scoffed. “You’re a piece of shit.”

“Vriska, I’m sure we can find other seats,” Tavros muttered softly, his arms shaking from the load of schoolwork he had.

“Shut up! God, you’re so annoying, Tavros,” Vriska growled.

Eridan’s face paled. Vriska. Vriska Serket? Oh, God.

“What’s your last name?” Eridan asked without thinking.

“Why does it matter to you?” She asked.

Feferi suddenly piped in, “Her last name is Serket.”

Vriska tossed the dark-skinned girl a glare, however Eridan smirked, standing.

“My apologies. I didn’t know this was your chair,” he began before holding out his hand, “by the way, my name is Eridan. Eridan Ampora.”

Vriska’s gray eyes hardened as she realized just who the male standing in front of her was. She looked down at his hand before moving her gaze up. “Sorry, I don’t shake hands with filth.”

“Good point, I’d hate to touch someone as filthy as you,” Eridan shot back, straightening his back and arching his chin forward slightly. He needed to establish that he was better than her in every way.

Vriska laughed, though it sounded fake. “Yeah, well, you losers have fun hanging out with this faggot. Tavros and I will find another place to sit.” Without another word, she flipped her dirty blonde hair over her shoulder and walked away, grabbing Tavros by the front of the shirt and dragging him along.

Eridan glared after her before sitting back down, keeping his gaze averted.

“What the fuck was that about?” Sollux asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had formed. “ED, do you know her?”

“You could say that,” he responded, taking his phone out of his pocket and texting his father.

‘ _Well, forget private schools. You hit this one on the nose. The Serket's are here.’_


	6. Heist

Eridan Ampora stood in front of his father, back straight and chin raised slightly. He needed to establish power, but not more than his father- never more than the boss.

School had let out three hours prior, though it had felt much longer. The youngest Ampora found himself overly tired from the schoolwork and training he had done. He simply wasn’t used to it. Not to mention actually talking to people like they were friends grew rather tiring as well. Eridan knew his father wouldn’t be too pleased about him talking to others, so he decided not to say anything on the matter.

Four men stood behind Eridan- standing in similar positions as the young Ampora. All of their faces were solemn, not a single trace of emotion showing up. Darian looked at all of them one by one, taking in all of their faces silently before finally speaking.

“You five are to rob the First National Bank tonight. Obviously Eridan will be leading you,” he began, looking at the four behind his son with hard blue eyes before setting them on the teenager. “I want you all to leave with at least one-thousand each. Robbie will be going with you, but he’s to stay in the van as he’s still new. All of you need to stay safe, I don’t want any casualties, and for the love of God, please don’t set off the alarms.”

The small group of six nodded at once, showing they understood Darian’s orders.

“I want all of you out of here by seven. I’ve been keeping an eye on how things work, so the street should be deserted. Do me proud,” the man finished before walking away.

Eridan hung his head slightly, stifling a yawn. He knew being tired wasn’t going to do the group good, but he couldn’t back out of it. Obviously his father needed the money for a reason, be it more weaponry or a raise for the family. The teenager backing out simply wasn’t an option.

He did a few stretches before walking over to a shelf and plucking a pistol off of it, checking quickly for ammo. He grabbed a few shells just to be absolutely sure, as he found one couldn’t be too careful, and placed the weapon in the back of his black jeans. He then grabbed another gun, going through the same process before placing it carefully in its holster located on his calf.

The teenager looked back at the others who were standing in wait. Each of them had packed at least two weapons.

“Where’s Robbie?” Eridan asked, looking around.

One of the men gestured to the bathroom with a thumb. “I think he’s nervous. He went in there about ten minutes ago.”

“He’s probably puking his dinner up,” another man smirked, nudging one of the others in the side.

Eridan rolled his eyes at their childish nature. He constantly found himself surprised at how, when it came to the gang, he seemed to be the most mature of all the members- despite being the youngest. The Ampora walked past the men, stepping up to the bathroom, and knocking on the door where he heard a loud retching sound.

“Ju-just a sec!” came a small voice from inside. The way the man’s voice sounded was making Eridan nervous about taking him. He felt Robbie wasn’t ready to go, but there was nothing that could be done. There was absolutely no way Darian would let the man skip out on the heist, especially since he was so new and needed to learn.

“We need to leave soon, Robbie. Finish up and then come out,” Eridan called into the bathroom before walking back to the other men. “Jeremy, go ahead and start up the van. Clear out the back if it isn’t already.”

The dark-skinned man nodded before heading out back to the van. Eridan never understood why his father would choose a van as their getaway vehicle- especially a white van. If anyone were to ask Eridan, he’d say it was the most obvious choice in vehicles. It practically screamed ‘I’m going to rob a bank’. Still, the teenager didn’t question it. He found that questioning his father was a lost cause anyway, as the man usually didn’t listen.

Eridan and the other men stayed silent, with the teenager making sure his glasses were in place before doing a series of stretches. They never knew what to expect and, when Eridan went on his first heist, they’d almost been caught. Since that moment, the youngest Ampora had always been careful about everything he did. The last thing he needed was for himself and his family to go to prison.

Eventually, Robbie came out, his dark green eyes red-rimmed and his nose running like a faucet. The young twenty-something looked downright horrible, which made Eridan question him going even more. Instead, he rolled his eyes and double checked his weaponry.

“Are you guys ready?” the teenager asked, running a hand through his black hair. 

The men surrounding him nodded, and Eridan gestured for them to follow him, talking among themselves as they moved out and piled into the van. Due to the fact that the teenager couldn’t drive, he sat in the passenger seat with the dark-skinned man in the front. The others went to the back of the van, their voices increasing in volume as the driver started the vehicle and moved out.

The drive to the bank took around fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes of Eridan rolling his eyes at the hooting and hollering coming from behind him in the back. A migraine was beginning to form making rub at his temples, trying to will it away. Whenever he lead a group, the others normally talked loudly and ignored almost everything Eridan said about keeping quiet- at least in the car ride. They knew that if any of them fucked up and got the boss’ son hurt, the penalty would be death.

When they finally arrived, the group quieted down immediately. Eridan opened his door as the door to the back swung open as well, a few of the men jumping out and grabbing a few bags each. The others then followed suit, grabbing their bags and moving by the back door of First National Bank.

The teenager waited until everyone was there before going back and checking on Robbie, who seemed to by hyperventilating. Eridan sighed, hanging his hand for a brief moment before looking up to address the other, “You’re to stay in here, do you understand? If you do well, Darian will let you go on more heists and runs in general, but if you fail, you know what will happen.”

Robbie nodded, obvious tears glinting in his eyes as he shook like a leaf.

“We’ll be out in about ten minutes. If we aren’t, get Darian on the phone. Understood?” Eridan asked, becoming antsy. He hated taking the new guys out, as they always whined and took up precious time. The teenager had a bank to rob, he couldn’t go and babysit grown men that didn’t know how to handle a job.

Robbie nodded once more. Eridan only hoped he actually understood and would do as he was told, he didn’t need anyone screwing up the heist. However, the teen didn’t have time to double check and instead opened the other door on the back of the van and headed to the door where the others were.

He put on a pair of latex gloves, making sure the others were either following suit or already had theirs on. Once that was done, the teenager picked the clock and disabled the code on the door, getting in with ease.

“Keep an eye out for traps. You’ll see a faint red glow or hear a soft buzzing,” Eridan whispered to the others as they began piling into the building.

The men moved to the left of the door to give Eridan room to go in and move ahead of them. Once he had, they all began following him quietly.

The back of the bank was eerily quiet and dark, which made things easy when it came to the slight buzzing and red light that illuminated some of the area. The rest of the building was pitch black. Eridan took out a small flashlight and clicked it on, making sure he kept it up to make the lasers easier to see.

“Come on,” he muttered, beginning to move through the maze of traps. He’d robbed many banks and his father found that he was the best at it. Cronus was much too big and burly to actually go through with it with ease- not that it mattered to the eldest Ampora child.

Eridan kept moving, leading the group along until they came to the large door, signaling the fact that they had finally reached the vault.

“Get your bags ready,” the teenager commanded, pulling out a duffle bag as he disabled the locks on the vault and pulled it open with ease. He made sure not to go too far as one of the lasers was designed to go off if the door was opened too much. Still, one had to laugh at how poorly the bank was guarded.

With the door opened, Eridan motioned the men to go forth and fill up their bags. The seven quickly began doing so, getting two bags in when the sound of sirens suddenly broke the silence. The teenager looked up in alarm, looking at each of the men.

“Did one of you trip the fuckin’ alarm?” he growled softly, throwing one of the bags over his shoulder while pulling his gun from the back of his pants.

The men shook their heads, looking equally as alarmed as they prepared to head out. It was then that they all figured out just who it was- Robbie. The man stood in the doorway, his own dark-green eyes wide with alarm and fear.

“What the fuck, Robbie? I told you to stay in the fuckin’ van!” Eridan practically shouted. Needless to say, he was pissed. Anger and adrenaline began fueling him as he pushed a few of the men ahead of him. “Go!” He then handed the new guy his own bag of money, wondering briefly how Robbie had even managed to get in so quietly. What had been his game plan?

The teenager decided not to dwell on that too much, as he had much bigger fish to fry at that point in time. He gripped the back of Robbie’s neck and propelled him forward, not stopping until they reached the door. Three of the men had made it back to the van, the others standing by the door with their weapons drawn. They looked to Eridan for a plan.

He quickly formulated one in his head and opened his mouth, however before he could speak a voice rang out.

“We have the place surrounded, come out with your hands up!” The voice was gravelly, reminding Eridan of someone, however he couldn’t quite place his finger on it, nor did he even have the time to do so.

He looked at the distance to the van from where they were standing, cursing softly. He knew he would need to be the last to go, it was only right. He wouldn’t let any of his men die. Eridan turned to the others, motioning for them to grab their bags.

“On the count of three, you’re all to run to the van. Don’t shoot, do you understand me?” Eridan growled softly.

The men nodded, picking up their bags and putting their weapons away. Eridan’s plan was to let them go and cover their flanks. He wouldn’t let them die, but he also wouldn’t kill any of the officers on duty. They only killed police officers when it was absolutely necessary.

Eridan held up his index finger, then his middle, and lastly his ring finger. He then gave the first man a push, waiting as they ran out and made it to the safety of the van with ease. Eridan, on the other hand, was not so lucky.

“Freeze!” the gravelly voice commanded, making Eridan do as he was told. However, he quickly moved a door to block his body as he held his gun up, prepared to fire.

“I said don’t move! Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air,” the harsh feminine voice growled.

Eridan cursed under his breath before aiming his weapon to the left of the woman’s head, knowing it wouldn’t hit her. Once he was sure, he fired a round. Many of the officers ducked, however the woman with auburn hair- the captain, obviously- fired a round of her own, hitting Eridan in the arm.

The teenager cried out as he gripped the door and elevated his arm quickly, aiming and firing another round at the woman’s torso. The captain let out a cry of her own before staggering back, distracting the officers. Eridan acted quickly, jumping into the back of the van and closing the doors.

“Go, go, go!” He yelled, hitting the sides before ducking. The others followed suit as gunshots began going off, however the van was moving and out of range in seconds.

Eridan sighed, soft pants coming from his person as he kept his arm high, clenching his teeth at the pain. He’d been shot many times, but the pain never lessened. It was something he knew he wouldn’t be able to get used to. The teenager couldn’t help but feel slight remorse for shooting the woman, as she had only been doing her job, however he knew by the bulk of her chest and torso that she was wearing a bulletproof vest. She would be okay- though there’d probably be a ton of bruising.

“Eridan, I’m so sorry, I-“ Robbie began, his cheeks stained from crying.

The teenager shot him a glare as one of the other men moved over to the teenager, placing cloth on the wound that was gushing blood.

“It looks like the bullet went clean through, but it’ll be best if Jerome looked at it to make sure,” the man said. Eridan trusted his word.

“Well, let’s just focus on getting back,” Eridan began before looking out the window. “It doesn’t look like we’re being followed, but I still want to do the vehicle switch once we reach the halfway point.”

The man nodded and pulled out his phone, calling the driver and letting him know the information. The driver confirmed everything quickly before hanging up. Eridan laid his head back, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the pain in his arm as well as the anger directed toward Robbie.  He had been  _told_ to stay in the van, so why disobey?

^^^

“What in the fuck happened?” Darian Ampora growled, his eyes having found the makeshift bandage around Eridan’s arm that had bled through.

The teenager dropped the bag of money at his father’s feet and sent a glare toward Robbie. “I told him to stay in the van, but apparently he grew nervous and decided to make a surprise appearance. He tripped up the wire and an alarm was sent to the police station. We didn’t even realize he was there until we heard the sirens,” Eridan explained, content they at least got the money, though they would have to lay low in terms of heists for a few months due to Robbie’s carelessness.

Darian ran a rough hand over his face before slamming his fist down onto the table, causing everyone in the room- including Eridan- to jump a mile in the air.

“Robbie, I’m going to need to speak with you. Eridan, go to Jerome and have him take care of your arm,” the man growled, embers in his blue eyes. Everyone knew things wouldn’t end well for Robbie. Chances were, he would meet his demise slowly and with tons of pain.

Eridan nodded and moved to the back of the house, finding Jerome St. James’ office. The teenager knocked, waiting for the all-clear to go in, as Jerome didn’t like people coming in unless it was a life or death emergency.

“Come in, come in,” a heavily accented voice sounded from inside.

Jerome had been the Ampora’s personal medic for years- much longer than Eridan had been alive. The man considered Cronus and Eridan his children as well, though Darian never liked the sound of that, so the three kept it private. He was an older man with graying hair and a bright smile.

The man looked up from his desk where an abundance of papers sat, waiting to be worked on. Everyone in the Ampora gang had quite a bit of paper work to do, per Darian’s orders. His face automatically turned to one of concern when he noticed the blood on Eridan’s bicep, soaking through his shirt and the bandages.

“What the hell happened?” Jerome asked, his voice mirroring Darian’s.

“The new guy fucked up the heist, so this is the bullshit that came of it,” Eridan responded, moving to the cool metal bed that stood in the center of the room and taking a seat.

The medic tsked and ordered Eridan to take off his shirt. He did as he was told, though with slight difficulty as pain flared up when he moved his left arm.

“Why is it always you getting hurt during these damned heists?” Jerome asked, placing his glasses on his face.

“Because I’m willin’ to put the family’s lives before my own,” Eridan responded, looking right at the older man.

Jerome simply looked at him before shaking his head, turning his attention to Eridan’s wound. He inspected it and took notice that the bullet went right through, not hitting a single important artery or even bone.

“The officer knew exactly where to hit you,” Jerome mused.

“Really?” Eridan asked, curious.

The man nodded. “She didn’t hit an area that could’ve caused major damage. It’s strange really, but maybe she’s simply a bad shot. Anyhow, all I need to do is clean this thoroughly and bandage it up. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t do strenuous activity. Do you understand?”

The teenager nodded as Jerome cleaned the wound carefully, making him hiss in pain. The worst part of getting injured had always been the cleaning process- he hated the feeling of antiseptic, it always stung and made him feel more uncomfortable than the gun shot.

“You’re just like your grandfather, though if the situation really called for it, he would have no problem throwing men under the bus and causing them to get killed for his own benefit,” Jerome stated, tossing bloody wipes into the wastebasket.

“Don’t compare me to him. I hated him; I aspire to be like Dad,” Eridan muttered. He hated being compared to his hard ass of a grandfather. He’d been horrible; no one ever did anything right in his eyes. On Eridan’s end, he always tried to make the family comfortable and happy. That was what mattered. An unhappy gang meant trouble.

“Alright, alright. All I was saying is that there are certain aspects that you share with your grandfather,” the older man stated, wrapping gauze around Eridan’s bicep carefully and tapping it. “You’re all done. Come back to me in the morning before you go to school, and I’ll get the bandages changed.”

Eridan nodded, though he was still peeved with Jerome about the grandfather comment, he wasn’t about to not thank him. “Thank you, by the way.”

“You’re welcome. Just try to keep yourself safe in the future,” Jerome stated, taking off his blood-covered latex gloves and removing his glasses. He then waved at the teenager, signaling the fact that he could leave.

Eridan went back to his father and automatically noticed the blood quickly being wiped off his hands. Eridan raised a brow at the other and carefully crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m assumin’ you took care of him,” Eridan mused.

Darian rolled his eyes at his son. “You know what the penalty is if you or Cronus get hurt. I wasn’t about to let him get away with it.”

Eridan raised his good arm. “Fine. I am fine, though.”

“Good. I take it Jerome took care of you.”

“That he did,” Eridan responded, looking down at his bare chest and realizing it would’ve been wise to put on a new shirt, however he couldn’t find himself bothered to do so. He would save such a task for the next morning when he needed to shower and change.

“Well, now that everything is taken care of, I need to do some things in my office. You, on the other hand, need to work on your homework,” Darian stated and then looked his son up and down. “Have you eaten yet?”

Eridan shook his head, trying to seem annoyed at the fact that he had to work on homework, however he found himself secretly pleased that he could get back to at least a little normalcy in his life.

“Well, eat while you do your work. I’ll get Cronus down here as well, because God knows he hasn’t gotten anything accomplished,” his father muttered.

He nodded and moved to the living room, grabbing his shoulder bag that lay by the door and moving to the kitchen. He pulled out all of the necessary work, setting everything in organized piles before moving to the refrigerator. In the past, Eridan’s father had talked about getting a maid, but found that most wouldn’t be too pleased with the fact that they’d be working for gang members, so they occasionally got people from their gang to come in and clean for them. It got things done and let the members earn extra cash.

He looked through the contents of the refrigerator before moving to the freezer and deciding on a frozen pizza. Eridan grabbed a cookie sheet and pulled the pizza out before setting the timer on the oven, waiting for it to preheat. He then went to the table and started in on his homework.

Eridan was a worksheet in when Cronus walked into the kitchen, practically slamming his backpack on the table before flopping into a chair.

“This is unbelievable,” Cronus hissed, rolling his sea blue eyes.

“What is, Cro?” Eridan asked.

“The fact that I have to do homework wh- wait, what happened?” Cronus asked, mid rant as he looked up and noticed Eridan’s arm.

“I got shot,” the teenager answered with a slight shrug of his right shoulder.

“Well yeah, but what happened? Fuck, I never get told anything around here!”

“You would be informed if you were actually downstairs when we got back from these things,” Eridan muttered, picking up his pencil just as the oven finished preheating.

“Okay, okay, you’re right, I’m wrong. Now will you tell me what happened?” Cronus exclaimed, throwing his arms up.

“The new guy; Robbie. He came into the bank when I specifically told him to stay in the van. He tripped up a wire and sent an alarm to the police station. We didn’t have time to get out of there fast enough, so we had a show down with the cops. I got shot. End of story- Robbie’s dead and I’m okay,” Eridan responded, talking carefully so he wouldn’t have to repeat himself as he stood up and popped the pizza into the oven, setting the timer for fifteen minutes.

“Did you shoot a cop?” Cronus asked.

“Yeah, I think she was the captain. I shot her in the torso, but I know she was wearin’ a bulletproof vest,” Eridan responded, moving back to the table and starting in on his  homework once again.

“Man, I wonder if that was Latula’s mom,” the eldest Ampora son muttered to himself.

“Who?”

“Latula. She said her mom worked on the force as police chief,” Cronus responded.

It was then that Eridan felt a sinking feeling in his gut. “What’s her last name? Is she related to anyone?”

“Her last name is Pyrope- she has a, uh, a little sister! I think her name is Terezi,” Cronus responded, snapping his fingers.

Eridan could’ve slapped himself in the face at that point. It dawned on him that the familiarity Eridan had noticed was the fact that the captain’s voice sounded almost exactly like Terezi’s. Eridan Ampora had shot Terezi Pyrope’s mother.

“What’s your deal?” Cronus asked, noticing how his younger brother’s mood changed at the drop of a pen.

“The captain is Terezi Pyrope’s mother- and guess who I’m getting close to at school?” Eridan muttered, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger under his glasses.

Cronus whistled. “Better not let her find out then.”

“Yeah, no shit.”


	7. Suspicion

Eridan’s arm woke him before his alarm could.  He groaned at the pain and the slick wet he felt and knew he had bled through- probably due to sleeping on his arm wrong.  He’d always had a habit in doing so.  The male stood up, running a hand through his black locks and padding quietly to the bathroom, flicking the light switch and taking a look at his injury.  Sure enough, he was right.  Eridan had completely bled through the bandages.  Blood ran down his bicep, having leaked onto his torso and shoulder as well.  The male wondered how beyond repair his bed sheets were, but tried not to dwell on it.

Instead, he dry-swallowed a few pain relievers and made his way down to Jerome, almost in a dream-like state.  If there were anything Eridan valued the most in life, it was sleep- if anyone disturbed it, he would be their worst nightmare.

As he reached Jerome’s office, Eridan was thinking how much trouble it would be to actually saw his arm off to avoid being woken up again.  However, he quickly pushed that thought to the side, not wanting to actually get angry enough to do it.  Instead he knocked softly on the large wooden door.

“Jer’m,” Eridan muttered, feeling himself going back into the land of sleep.

“Come in, Eridan,” a soft voice called out, shaking Eridan from his sleepy state for a moment.

The teenager walked into the room, a soft smile appearing on his face as he pointed at the soiled bandages on his arm.  “Bled through.”

Jerome shook his head at the other before setting down his pen.  It was obvious he had been working on something important, though Eridan wasn’t sure if it pertained to the gang or not.  Even then, he didn’t care all that much.  He simply wanted to get back to sleep.

“You slept on it wrong, didn’t you?”  Jerome asked, patting the table as a signal that Eridan needed to sit.  He then put on a pair of latex gloves and turned on a bright lamp that hung just above the table.

Eridan sat, nodding.  He snorted softly as he held his arm out, watching Jerome unwrapping it and cleaning the blood with a sterile cloth.  Jerome had taken care of the Ampora's and their gang for many years.  He was even older than Darian- in fact, he was almost as old as Darian’s father had been.  Eridan didn’t like to think about it though, as it meant Jerome would be passing as well.  It wasn’t something he liked thinking about too much.

“You are the worst out of the lot, you know that?  It’s always you getting hurt or bleeding through.  I just can’t get over it!”  he ranted, though there wasn’t an ounce of hostility in his voice.  Instead, he wore a bright smile on his face, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle.  Eridan couldn’t help but smile back.  He could truly say he loved Jerome and everything he had done for the gang.

“Yeah, yeah.  Just fix me up so I can get my beauty sleep,” Eridan responded, stifling a yawn as he spoke.

The man tending to his wound rolled his eyes, shaking his head before moving to a cabinet and pulling out a needle and thread.  “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to stitch you up.  I didn’t think you’d need it, but it’s quite obvious you do.  When I do this, _try_ to avoid sleeping on it.”

Eridan nodded and sat through Jerome stitching his wound shut.  He had never gotten used to the slight sting that went along with getting stitches.  Actually, he hated the sensation.  He closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep and was just on the verge when Jerome sat the equipment down, clapping his hands together and causing him to jump.

“You’re all done!”

“Jesus fuck, ya coulda gone about tellin’ me in a quieter manner!”  Eridan responded, his thick Scottish accent shining through in his surprise.  He hated his accent and tried to mask it more times than not, though when he was surprised or angry it usually came on full force.

Jerome chuckled softly, “Go to bed, Eridan.”

The male nodded, mumbling his thanks before going back up to his room and falling face-first onto his bed, his eyes closing automatically as he fell into a deep sleep- or started to.  As soon as the world slid out from under him, the teenager’s alarm clock began blaring.

Eridan groaned loudly before grabbing the shrieking object and throwing it against the wall.  It dawned on him that, due to the fact that he was rudely awoken, he wouldn’t be in a good mood for the rest of the day.  He prayed no one would mess with him at school, but knew that hoping so was probably a lost cause.

The male huffed and stood, moving to the bathroom quickly and starting the shower.  He pushed his sweats down his legs, kicking them away and rubbing at his eyes.  When the water was at a satisfactory temperature, he hopped in, making sure he didn’t irritate his arm- again.

Once he was done, the teenager got ready quickly, doing his hair and getting dressed with slight difficulty.  He then went downstairs where his father was drinking from a mug of coffee while filling out a stack of papers.

“What are those for?”  Eridan asked, walking to the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of apple juice.  He then poured himself a glass and sat down in front of his father, waiting for the older man to respond.

“They’re letters to everyone in the gang.  I want to let them know I’m giving them a raise while also making them aware that we have our sights set on the Serkets,” Darian responded, not paying much attention to his youngest son.

“Uh-huh, and why not just hold a meetin’ or somethin’?”  Eridan asked, taking a small sip of his cool beverage.  He wasn’t too into the conversation and was instead thinking about what to have for breakfast.

“Because of the Serket's trying to watch us like we’re watching them, it wouldn’t be safe to do so.”  Darian’s voice was quick and harsh, making Eridan’s throw his good arm up and stand once more.  He decided on having a Pop-Tart and forcing Cronus to drive him to school so he wouldn’t have to deal with his father’s obvious attitude.

“Right,” Eridan replied, putting the Pop-Tarts in the toaster just as Cronus came downstairs, running a comb through his thick black hair.

“Morning,” he said, moving past Eridan to get to the refrigerator.

“Mornin’,” Eridan responded, drowning out the grunt from Darian.  “Can you take me to school?”

Cronus turned away from the refrigerator, holding a carton of milk in his hand.  His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked from Eridan to their father.  It didn’t take him long to realize Eridan was fed up with their.  He rolled his eyes and nodded.  “Yeah, Eri, I’ll take you.”

The room then went quiet as Eridan put on a pot of coffee while he ate breakfast.  He then made sure all of his homework was finished, making sure he grabbed a novel to take with him during the lulls in the day.  When the coffee pot beeped, the male poured himself a travel mug of coffee, adding creamer and sugar before looking at Cronus expectantly.

“God, you’re always so impatient.  Hold on,” Cronus muttered when he caught Eridan looking at him.  Cronus was the type of person that didn’t care if he were late or not, especially when it came to school. 

Eridan tsked and began tapping his foot, everything ready to go as he waited by the door.  He felt a soft throbbing in his arm, but didn’t do anything about it.  He had just been shot, so pain was to be expected.  Though he knew he should’ve grabbed pain killers or extra bandages, he didn’t bother.  If Cronus saw him moving upstairs, he’d wait even longer to leave and Eridan didn’t want that.

“Come on, Cro!”  the teenager growled loudly, opening the door and stepping onto the porch.  He wondered how long it would take him to walk, but quickly ruled that out.  He didn’t want to ruin his hair or clothes, nor did he want to be late.  Knowing his luck when it came to such things, he’d set out and get passed up by Cronus.

The male sat on the porch, drinking his coffee and wondering how the day would play out.  Would the table he sat at the previous day still be open to him?  Would anyone still be friendly toward him?  There was a part of him that hoped it wouldn’t be the case.  He needed to focus on his studies and bringing the Serket's down.  However, he knew that one way to find everything out about Vriska would be getting close to her friends.  He didn’t necessarily _want_ to use the people that had been so kind of him, but what if they were on her side?  What if they were trying to find out everything about _him?_

Eridan tried to force himself to stop caring; he _didn’t_ care about them.  He wouldn’t give out anything personal and would simply go through the motions.  The teenager had seen enough movies to know how to react around ‘friends’.  He would be just as fake as they were probably acting.

He was lost in thought when his brother finally emerged from the house, slamming the door behind him and tearing Eridan from his thoughts.  The smaller male jumped and turned around quickly.  “Dick.”

“You wanted me to take you to school, so here I am.  Don’t test me, Eri,” Cronus muttered back in response, walking past his younger brother and moving to his vehicle.

Eridan wondered if Cronus had gotten into it with Darian as well, but decided not to press him until Cronus inevitably came to his younger brother himself.  It was what usually happened with such issues.  The eldest Ampora child would let his problems stew before eventually going to Eridan and letting them blow up- usually with tears and shouting.  The younger used to grow tired of it quickly, but he had adapted and even started to like helping out his older brother.

The two didn’t speak on their way to school, though Cronus stayed tense the entire ride, his jaw clenched and knuckles white from clutching the wheel with such strong force.  Eridan couldn’t help but want to pry, but forced himself to stay silent, practically jumping out of the car before Cronus parked.  He ignored his brother calling out to him and kept moving until he was inside the school among the throes of students.

Eridan remembered exactly where to go and began pushing past the talking, zombie-like adolescents.  He managed to reach his locker within two minutes.  He had just opened it when he felt a presence behind him.  The male turned his head and nearly jumped when he laid his eyes on Feferi.

“Jesus, Fef, you can’t just do that,” he muttered, shoving textbooks into his locker before switching out everything he needed for English.

“Sorry!  I saw you come in and was just wondering if you’d want to walk to class together again,” Feferi responded, moving to Eridan’s side, a wide smile on her face.  The male wondered if she ever stopped smiling.

“Yeah, sure,” Eridan said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.  He then closed his locker and faced the female completely.  “Shall we go?”

She nodded quickly and grabbed Eridan’s wrist, leading him toward the classroom.  The male juggled interrogating Feferi at that time or later.  He wasn’t sure how to approach it, as he’d never had to ask ‘normal’ people about others.  The Ampora's had never dealt with anyone like the Serket's, who were violent enough to establish themselves as a strong gang, but clever enough to blend in with normal society and not get caught.  Even Darian had been at a loss with it all.

Eridan eventually came to the conclusion that asking about Vriska in the crowded hallway wouldn’t be the best idea, so he waited.  He hoped to do so in class, but found there was a pop quiz.  The male quickly grew frustrated at the fact that there hadn’t been a chance to ask the female a single thing.  Though he tried to push it out of his mind as he finished the quiz before taking out the past assignments and walking up to Mr. Tanner’s desk and handing the stack to him.

The man looked surprised as he stared down at what Eridan had given him.  “What’s all this?”

“The pop quiz and everythin’ else I missed,” the teenager responded, adjusting the glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose.

“Oh- but you didn’t have t- you know what?  Thank you.  I really appreciate you doing this; I’ll get these graded and added to the system ASAP,” Mr. Tanner said, flashing his slightly crooked teeth at the teenager.

Eridan nodded and headed back to his seat just as Feferi stood up to take her pop quiz up.  She shot a dazzling smile at Eridan, who had trouble returning it.  Try as he might, he couldn’t shake the fact that he _needed_ to know more about Vriska.  He had an idea that Feferi was someone that knew plenty about her.  The peppy girls were always full of gossip, at least, that's what the movies he'd watched proved.

Feferi sat back down and leaned over toward him.  “What do you think you scored?”

“Probably an A.  The quiz was easy,” Eridan responded, shooting her a lopsided smile.  The smile made a soft red tint appear on Feferi’s cheeks, causing the male’s brows to furrow.  Why was she blushing?  Had it been something he’d said?  “So uh, what do you think you scored?”  the male asked, his voice unsure.

“Not to toot my own horn or anything, but probably an A as well.  I was the smartest in this class before you came along,” the female giggled, her dark brown eyes sparkling.

Eridan nodded.  “If you think you scored well, you should be proud of yourself.  And you’re still the smartest- probably.”  He then smiled at her before looking around.  Mr. Tanner was grading what quizzes had gotten done and a small portion of the class were talking among themselves, paying Eridan and Feferi no mind.  He decided to ask her to at least go to the back of the school once again.  After all, Eridan knew he’d be no use in gym.  “Hey, I know you have a study hall next hour, but would you maybe want to ditch and come to the back with me?”

If possible, Feferi’s large eyes grew even larger as she nodded.  “Of course!”

“Good,” the male responded before turning away from the female.  He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out his novel, tuning everyone in the room out as he began to read.

He didn’t realize the bell had rang until Feferi tapped him on the shoulder.  The male looked around quickly, noticing everyone filing out quickly, chattering animatedly to one another.

“Are you ready?”  Feferi asked, a smile still present on her face.

“Yeah.”  Eridan packed up his things and walked with Feferi out the back doors, moving to the back building and taking seats on the cool cement.

“You know, I think you and I should start a club,” Feferi commented as she watched Eridan pull out a pack of cigarettes.

The male froze, looking up at her with wide blue eyes.  “What?”

“Yeah!  Like a book club or something.  Maybe we could get Karkat involved!  And Aradia!”  Feferi grinned.

“Where is this coming from?”  Eridan asked, extremely taken aback by Feferi’s sudden proposal.  He pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit it, taking a long drag.

“Well, it’s obvious you like to read.  I like to read and so do a few of the others.  I think it’d be fun,” Feferi responded with a shrug, eyeing Eridan’s cigarette.

“I guess I’d be up for somethin’ like that,” Eridan mused, never recalling any sort of reading club in Scotland.  He did most of his reading in private and only talked about it in class, as literature bored both his father and brother.  The teenager knew it’d most-likely be nice to read something and be able to talk about it with others without being graded on it, or judged for _what_ he was reading.  He offered a smile toward the other and decided to speak up once more before Feferi could say anything else about the club.  “So, I have a question.”

The female’s head tilted to the side slightly, her brown eyes filling with curiosity.  “Yes?”

“What can you tell me about Vriska Serket?  As you know we had a run-in yesterday and I guess- I guess I just want to know what her problem is,” Eridan responded, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Oh- Well, none of us really talk to her much.  Honestly, she and Tavros sit at the table just to have somewhere to sit.  We ignore Vriska, she’s too mean.  Sollux has tried kicking her out and she made fun of him relentlessly for a month,” Feferi said, her eyes moving to the ground.

Eridan took a drag of his cigarette, slowly realizing Feferi was completely telling the truth.  He knew liars and she wasn’t one.  He wondered what Vriska had done or said to her, or just how she had made fun of Sollux.  The way the Ampora saw it, Sollux didn’t let anything people said get to him.  He let the smoke seep from his nostrils before speaking again, watching as the smoke wafted into the air, blowing away with a gust of wind.

“How did she end up in your friend group anyway?  None of you seem the types to really get along with someone like her,” Eridan said, finally looking at Feferi.

“It’s my fault, I guess.  My older sister, Meenah, started dating Vriska’s older sister.  From the beginning she was always mean to me, though.  I just never said anything.  Vriska makes fun of my weight a lot.  I was too afraid to say anything to the others- I don’t like drawing attention to the fact that I’m bigger.”  Feferi kept her eyes fixed on the ground, staring hard.

“I’m sorry that happened and I’m sorry she’s such a bitch to you.  If it means anythin’ comin’ from me, I think you’re beautiful the way you are,” Eridan replied, shrugging as he took another drag.

Another blush dusted Feferi’s dark cheeks as she looked up, a light smile on her face.  It was sad though, something Eridan wasn’t expecting.  “Thank you, Eri-fin.  I really appreciate that.”

The male nodded, returning the smile with ease that time, before offering her a cigarette.  The two then spent the rest of the period smoking and talking about things that weren’t so harsh.  Eridan knew he wouldn’t get anything out of Feferi.  In fact, he was sure he wouldn’t get anything out of _anyone_ , aside from Tavros and perhaps the sweaty male- Equius.  He decided he’d try the two whenever he had the chance.

^^^

Lunch came around slowly.  When the morning first started, his arm was only slightly throbbing, but by the time fifth period rolled around, a steady pain had begun.  He yearned for pain relievers and wanted to call home, but didn’t want to converse with his father, especially after the morning with both of them being grumpy toward one another.

Instead, he tried to ignore it, moving through the motions of his classes, keeping his jaw clenched.  Luckily, no one touched his arm.  He knew if something like that would’ve happened, it wouldn’t have ended well.

“So, are we walking to lunch together?”  Sollux asked, raising a brow toward Eridan as he stood from his seat.

“Yeah, sure,” Eridan responded, standing as well, though he kept his wounded arm to his side, trying to keep it as still as possible.

Sollux gave him a strange look before walking away, leading the way to the cafeteria as Eridan followed him quietly, trying to take deep breaths, though it was getting harder and harder to ignore.

The two walked into the lunch room, Eridan skipping out on getting anything and instead going straight to the table, sitting down carefully and keeping his eyes fixed on the table.

“Are you okay, Eri-fin?  You look sick,” Feferi said, leaning forward in her seat slightly.

Eridan nodded, finally pushing past the barrier of pain.  “Yeah, just a stomachache,” he responded.

“Are you hungry?  I brought extra fish today!”  she exclaimed, pulling two containers out of her bag and pushing one toward Eridan.

He smiled gratefully at her.  While hunger wasn’t actually the cause of his pain, he was always happy to receive fish.  As he opened the container- albeit with difficulty- Karkat sat down at the table along with Sollux.  The male automatically pulled out a book, opening to the spot he left off at and beginning to read, while Sollux turned his attention to Aradia.  Equius and Nepeta were already seated and talking among themselves as they ate.  None of them were even remotely concerned about the lack of Vriska at the table.  In fact, the energy seemed positive overall.

However, Eridan did notice the absence of one other: Terezi.  Just as he began looking around the lunch room, the sound of books clattering on the table drew his attention to the empty spot on the other side of it.  A frazzled Terezi stood, panting softly as she took a seat.  The rest of the table happened to be drawn to her as well.

“Are you okay, ‘Rezi?”  Nepeta asked, concern lacing her voice.

“Well, where do I begin?”  she asked, running a hand through her tangled hair.  “I didn’t get any fucking sleep last night, in fact I was up most of it worrying.”

“Why?”  Aradia asked.

“Why?  I’ll tell you why!  My mom was _shot_ last night.  Right in the fucking stomach.  I mean- luckily she was wearing her vest, but still.  She was shot,” Terezi responded, flailing her arms.

Eridan’s eyes widened as he looked down, his heart beginning to pound.  However, he tried to calm himself, knowing there was no possible way Terezi knew it was him that did it.  She couldn’t know unless she was a genius and able to piece things together perfectly.

“What happened?”  Feferi asked, leaning forward.

“Well, she got a call about a bank robbery, so she left.  Apparently she shot the leader in the arm after they shot at her.  I mean, she knows that they were probably trying to miss, but still.  So, she got them in the arm.  Unfortunately the group was still able to get away.  Everyone was too busy worrying about her,” Terezi responded.  “But she’s been up having Latula and I get everything for her and it’s so fucking annoying.  Ugh.”  The female then looked at her friends’ trays, taking a roll from Equius’ and biting into it.

“Oh my God… Well, I’m glad she’s okay.  Fuck the asshole that did that, though,” Karkat growled.

Sollux nodded in agreement, opening his mouth to speak when he noticed Eridan’s arm.  His eyebrows furrowed as he took a closer look.  “ED, is that… blood?”

Eridan looked up quickly, his attention moving to his arm as his blue eyes grew wide.  “Fuck.  Uh, yeah.  Cro and I were bein’ idiots last night and I fell.  I’ll be back,” he said quickly, standing up and practically running to the bathroom.  He cursed himself up one wall and down the other.  How could he not have realized the fact that his arm had bled?  How did it even happen?

The male reached the bathroom, taking off his shirt and placing towels around the soiled bandages, trying to get the blood soaked up.  He cursed softly over and over, realizing he should have called Jerome to bring bandages at the very least.  He was pissed at himself, but knew there was nothing that could be done.  Instead of dwelling on it, Eridan cleaned up as much of the blood as he could before throwing the paper towels away and putting on a jacket over his shirt.  He knew it wouldn’t be enough to last him through the day, but enough to call Jerome.

As he checked over himself in the mirror and made sure he looked presentable and not-suspicious, another appeared in the reflection behind him.

“So, do you mind telling me what happened to your arm?”  It was the gravelly voice of Terezi.  Her arms were covered over her chest, a stern look on her face.

“I told you what-“

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Ampora.  You’re not as mysterious as you think you are.  So, I’m assuming you were the leader at the bank, then?”  Terezi asked as Eridan slowly turned around.

The teenager sighed, running a hand through his hair.  He was caught and he knew it, though he also knew there could be a way to save not only his own ass, but his family’s asses as well. 

“Look, I know I fucked up, okay?  I didn’t _want_ to shoot her!  I had to so we could get out of there, but nothin’ was goin’ as was planned.  I knew she was wearin’ the vest, that’s why I shot her where I did.  Is she really okay?”  Eridan spoke quickly, the realization hitting him that he really did care.  He wanted to know how Terezi felt about everything.  He wanted to know if her mother was okay.

However, she did something Eridan didn’t expect; she smiled.

Her arms dropped to her sides as she leaned against the sink.  “I figured.  She knew exactly where to shoot you too, you know.”

“What?”  Eridan asked, completely surprised.

“Oh come on, Eridan.  We aren’t stupid.  We _know_ there’s a new gang in town- a new gang, plus a new family.  It’s completely obvious.  We also know about your beef with the Serket's, plus my mom did a lot of research on you.  It turns out, you aren’t really assholes to civilians.  I mean, you rob a few banks, but what’s the harm in that?”  Terezi stated, her voice turning casual.  She no longer looked frantic and frazzled, which made Eridan wonder if she was faking it the entire time to gauge his reaction.  Had that been the case?

“Then why aren’t you takin’ us to jail in handcuffs right now?  We’re still a gang,” Eridan muttered.

“Because, you can potentially help us.  And if you do, we’ll turn a blind eye to whatever you’re doing- well, as long as it doesn’t include taking over New York or whatever.  Keep, you know, not killing innocent people and we’re good.  And that’s not just coming from me; my mom said the same thing,” Terezi responded.

“How can I help you?”  Eridan asked.

“Help us bring down the Serket's.  Trust me, we’ve been after them for quite a while too.  They’ve been a pain in everyone’s asses.  In fact, my mom wanted me to do some undercover stuff and find out stuff about Vriska- you know, befriend her and everything.  Unfortunately, she caught onto it pretty quickly.  But yesterday, with your little showdown with her, it’s obvious things are going to go much differently.  I really think you can at least bring Vriska down,” Terezi responded, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.

Eridan nodded along, knowing she was right.  He had the upper hand on Vriska.  He had made his presence known and showed he wouldn’t back down no matter what.  That had to have been worth something.

The bell ringing dragged the two out of their respective thoughts.

“We better go.  I am in the boy’s bathroom after all; not that I mind.  It’s cozy in here!”  she exclaimed, preparing to walk away, though was stopped when Eridan grabbed her arm.

“Wait!  Please don’t tell anyone else about me or my family, okay?”  he asked quickly, prepared to beg if necessary.  He couldn’t imagine what Darian would say if he ever found out that someone knew- especially if it were the police chief’s daughter.

Terezi simply grinned and shot the male a wink.  “Your secret’s safe with me.”


	8. The Fight

A few weeks passed without incident.

Due to the fact that Eridan knew Terezi and her mother knew about everything he didn’t need to feel as cautious when it came to heists, though he knew getting caught still wouldn’t be in his favor, plus the last thing he needed was Darian getting suspicious about his youngest son’s new friends.  Of course, Eridan wasn’t sure if he could really call all of them friends, he didn’t know much about friendship anyhow.  If anything, Terezi was his closest friend, even though they kept most of their conversations hushed from everyone else.  He wasn’t ready to out himself to all of them.  Hell, he didn’t even know if he could trust all of them.

However, in the span of a few weeks, the group had included Eridan in many things.  From inviting him over after school- which Eridan always had to decline, due to his father being suspicious- to including the teen in their conversations.  The male had definitely warmed up to the group, that much could easily be said.  He allowed himself to smile and laugh around them, something he’d never been able to do with anyone in Scotland.

He always managed to catch his elder brother’s eye during lunch- though Cronus didn’t have any complaints.  He was happy Eridan was fitting in.  The elder Ampora wasn’t having too bad a time either, having made acquaintances with Karkat, Kanaya, Nepeta, Terezi, and Sollux’s older siblings.  He, too, often found himself laughing at lunch.  All-in-all, public school wasn’t all that horrible to either of them.

^^^

“Eri-fin!  A few of us are going to sit outside for lunch today.  It’s really nice out.  Care to join us?”  Feferi asked enthusiastically, bounding up next to the male as he and Sollux walked to lunch.

Eridan looked to his pale companion, who simply shrugged.  “I don’t mind.  Is AA going to be out there?”

“No, she’s sick.  I thought she texted you?”  Feferi muttered, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Nope,” Sollux responded shortly.  “I’m going to get my lunch.  I’ll see you two out there.”  Before the others could say anything else, the slender male walked away, pulling his phone out of his pocket and typing furiously.

“What was that about?”  Eridan asked, watching Sollux closely.

“You haven’t noticed?”

Eridan’s brow raised in confusion.  “Noticed what exactly?”

“Sollux and Aradia haven’t been getting along.  Nepeta says there’s something going on between Aradia and Equius, but she doesn’t have proof and neither of them are about to admit it.  Nepeta says Equius feels ashamed of what he’s doing, though,” Feferi responded, looking sheepish.

The male nearly froze at the female’s words.  “Wait, so you’re tellin’ me that Ara might be cheatin’ on Sol and nothin’s bein’ done about it?!”  He couldn’t deny the fact that he was angry.  If that had been happening to him, he would’ve been _livid._

“It’s not our place to, Eri-fin.  Trust me, a lot of us want to, but Sol-fish wouldn’t want to hear it, especially coming from anyone other than Aradia.  That’s just the kind of guy he is.  He doesn’t believe it unless it comes from the source,” Feferi said softly in response, keeping her brown eyes down.

“Fuck, I want to say somethin’, but I doubt he’d listen to me anyway,” Eridan muttered, running a ring-clad hand through his hair and letting forth a soft huff.

“Why do you say that?”  Feferi asked.

The male shook his head quickly.  “Nothin’.  Don’t worry about it.”  The last thing he wanted to admit was that he had developed feelings for Sollux.  He wasn’t sure where they had come from.  All he knew was that the two were sitting in class answering questions back and forth as they usually did.  Eridan looked at Sollux in a different light and felt- _something._   He wasn’t too sure what it was, but there were definitely feelings there.  However, Sollux had a girlfriend- granted one that was probably cheating on him- but he was taken and he’d never said anything about liking males.

Eridan felt his face heat up at the thought of Sollux finding out.  He didn’t want to even mention it to Feferi, so he walked faster, heading out the back doors of the school and moving quickly to the back building.  He didn’t stop until Karkat and Terezi came into view, a large smile appearing on the latter’s face while Karkat kept his nose buried in his book, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Hey guys,” Eridan said, taking a seat on the ground and pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

“Hey Eridan, where’s Sollux and Feferi?”  Terezi asked.

“Sol’s gettin’ his lunch and Fef is comin’,” the male responded, lighting a cancer stick and taking a long drag.  He wanted to get all thoughts of his crush on Sollux out of his mind- if that was what it was, that is.

“Ah,” Terezi began, her head tilting slightly.  She knew there was something off about the other, but wasn’t quite sure what that something was, so she decided against saying anything.

Feferi came up to the others, her arms crossed over her chest.  “Eridan Ampora!  I didn’t appreciate you leaving me back there.  If you were pissed off at what I said you could have just said so so we could’ve worked things out!” she huffed, rolling her brown eyes before taking a seat next to Karkat.

“I ain’t mad at you, Fef,” Eridan muttered.

“Humph!  I shouldn’t give you any of my lunch today, but out of the kindness of my heart, I’m going to,” the female said, taking two containers out of her bag and handing one to the apologetic Eridan.  He loved Feferi’s mother’s cooking and missing out would’ve been the largest of crimes.

“You’re so good to me, Fef,” Eridan said, his mouth salivating when the container had hit his hands.  He quickly pried the lid off and dug into the mackerel that had a light lemon coating on it and practically melted at the taste.

“You two are so weird.  I’ve never met anyone that loved fish as much as you two,” Terezi cackled, taking a bite of her own lunch and chewing with her mouth open.  At first, Eridan had been repulsed by such table manners, but he quickly got over it and even accepted that that was how she ate her food.

The male had grown to start accepting everyone’s quirks.  They were certainly a different group of people, but he was sure he was different in his own ways as well.  He was comfortable around them- albeit not 100%, but it was something.

Eridan found himself scooting closer to Terezi as he ate, a small smile on his face.

Eventually, Sollux came back, looking down as he sat with his lunch.  A frown pulled his face down, making Eridan question what was wrong.  Had he found out about Aradia?  Did someone finally come clean to him?  Eridan opened his mouth to ask, but just as he was about to speak, Feferi beat him to it.

“Are you okay, Sol-fish?”  She asked, concern lacing her voice.

“Not really,” Sollux responded, keeping his eyes fixed on his tray and picking at the roll that sat on it.

“What’s goin’ on?”  Eridan asked quickly, beating Feferi to the question.

Sollux shrugged his shoulders before sighing and taking off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose.  He took a small moment, keeping silent before finally speaking, “Aradia and I broke up.”

No one said anything.  In fact, the silence grew quite uncomfortable.  All of them knew about Aradia and Equius and they only wondered if Sollux knew as well.

“I’m sorry, Sollux.  I’m so sorry...”  Feferi said softly, breaking the silence.

The lanky male shrugged, a dry laugh escaping his lips.  “She didn’t love me anyway.  She loves EQ, so whatever, I guess.  It hurts, but I have my sights set on someone else anyway.”

Karkat’s head shot up, almost like he just realized Sollux had joined them.  “Someone else?  Who?”

Sollux’s bicolored eyes looked to Eridan for a split second before going back to Karkat.  “I’ll tell you later, KK.”

Unfortunately for Sollux, his simple glance meant something completely different to Feferi and Terezi, who both noticed it.

“Oh my God!  I know who it is!”  Feferi squealed, though her excitement didn’t quite match her eyes.

“As do I!  My, my Sollux, I never t-“  Terezi started, a grin on her face, though she was quickly interrupted by Sollux, who held a hand up and spoke loudly.

“Both of you shut the fuck up!  I’m not ready to say anything yet, obviously.  If you’d like, I could talk to both of you about it later as well, since I’m well aware that neither of you will drop it until I confirm it,” Sollux hissed.

Eridan found himself confused by everything, but decided to keep his mouth shut.  He wondered who it was that Sollux had a crush on.  He wanted to ask as well- to be in on it.  However, he didn’t want to make his disappointment obvious.  _Of course_ he liked someone else.  Eridan just wondered who it was.  Terezi?  Nepeta?  Feferi?  It could’ve been anyone.

The male went back to eating, just as Karkat went back to what he was doing.  Terezi and Feferi exchanged smirks before they went back to their food.  Sollux, on the other hand, pulled out his cellphone and began typing furiously, his face contorted into an expression of pure concentration.

The small group stayed as they were for around ten minutes, though that was when a drawing feminine voice reached their ears.  Vriska.

Eridan looked up quickly, his blue eyes meeting Terezi’s green-blue ones.  The male sat up straighter, sitting against the wall of the building as he listened in.

“So, what’s your deal, Pupa?”  She asked, her voice mocking.

“I told you Vriska, I failed my History test,” the small, nervous voice of Tavros responded.

“I know, I just like to hear you admit it!  You’re so stupid, I don’t even know why I’m with you,” Vriska responded, her voice drawing closer to the group.

Anger filled Eridan at the way Vriska was talking to the other male.  She had no right to abuse him- and that’s what it was- abuse.  He hated it.  He hated her.

Before Eridan knew it, he was standing, blocking Vriska’s path.  The blonde looked at him with her hard blue-gray eyes.  A smirk found its way onto her face as she took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Leave him alone, bitch,” Eridan growled, his hands closing into tight fists as he spoke.  The rest of the group stopped eating, watching the scene unfold before them.  Terezi prepared herself to jump in if needed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize he was _your_ boyfriend.  Mind your own fucking business, Ampora,” Vriska shot back, her eyes narrowing.

“He shouldn’t be your boyfriend.  You treat him like shit, so back off,” Eridan responded, wanting to hit her.  Though he knew he couldn’t, not at school- not unless she hit him first.

“Seriously?  Fuck off.  This is the last time I’ll say it, faggot,” Vriska hissed, turning to Tavros.  “Come on, Pupa.  We’re going back in.  I didn’t realize trash would be out here, too.  By the way,” she turned her head, facing Eridan as a sickening smile lit up her pale features.  “Give your mommy my best.”

Eridan’s face paled for a moment, before he found himself taking a few steps after Vriska.  “Same to your daddy.”

The blonde froze, her eyes gaining a look of murder.  “We don’t talk about my dad.”

Eridan chuckled cruelly.  “Why?  Because he’s dead?  Like you’re going to be?”  He knew what he was saying, however, at that moment it didn’t register that his friends were sitting three feet away, listening to everything being said between the two.

“No, actually, you’ll be dead.  Just like mommy dearest,” Vriska shot back, giving Eridan a sickly sweet smile.

The male’s face contorted into an expression of rage.  His knuckles turned white as he held himself back from punching her.  It was as if she knew _everything_ to say to get a reaction from him.  He knew his father would tell him to back off and leave well enough alone, but Darian wasn’t there.  Neither was Cronus.  No one could tell him what to do in that moment.

“Or maybe your mother wasn’t good enough for him and he left.  After all, havin’ a wife and kids like you guys would make anyone leave!”  He didn’t know why he said it, but he did.  And it definitely got a reaction from the other.

“Shut _up_!”  Vriska shouted, before throwing a punch, hitting Eridan in the cheek.

The young Ampora felt pain blossom on his face as his head whipped to the side.  However, he couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on his features as he re-clenched his own fist, straightening himself before throwing a punch of his own, watching as Vriska grunted and fell on her ass.  Eridan thanked his lucky stars that he decided to wear rings that day.

He gripped the female’s long, dirty blonde hair and pulled her up roughly, delivering another punch into her gut, however, he found himself thrown back as Vriska rested her hands on the male’s chest and pushed roughly.  His back hit the hard brick of the building, nearly knocking the air out of him.  He didn’t have time to recover before Vriska was at him, grabbing his head and knocking it into the building- making the male see stars as his knees buckled.

The female threw another punch, causing Eridan to bite his bottom lip, blood flowing from the cut as the female threw a third punch, hitting the male in the gut.  He gasped, but tried to block the pain, not wanting Vriska to have the upper hand.  He refused to let her win.

Gaining his strength and pushing all signs of pain to the back of his mind, Eridan got a few hits in of his own, downing Vriska as she spit blood out of her mouth.  He delivered a few kicks to her side, before she grabbed his ankle, nearly twisting it as she brought him down.

“I’ll fucking kill you!”  she screamed, moving on top of Eridan just as Terezi came in, grabbing the blonde and throwing her off of Eridan.

“Vriska!  Do you want to keep going?  Because this will be enough evidence for my mother to actually bring you in, and I’m sure you don’t want that!”  the female’s gravelly voice hissed as she stood over the other.

“Fuck you, Pyrope.  He started it,” Vriska shot back.

“No, you threw the first punch.  All of us saw it.  There’s enough proof right here to get you taken in, you wouldn’t want that, now would you?”  Terezi asked, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting her narrow hip out slightly.

Vriska simply rolled her eyes, dragging herself to her feet and looking to Tavros.  “Come on.  Let’s get out of here, and then let’s have a deep conversation about how you’re a useless boyfriend.”

The small Latino boy looked absolutely terrified, but nodded anyhow, following Vriska away from the group.

Eridan huffed and wiped blood off his chin with the back of his hand before pulling himself to his feet as Terezi walked over.  She had a concerned look on her face.

“Are you okay?”  she asked.

Eridan nodded before his blue eyes landed on the group, all of which ended up standing during the fight, their eyes wide as saucers.  He scratched the back of his neck, knowing he’d have to say something to them, though he knew it couldn’t be anything about the gang.  Fuck, what had he said beforehand?  Surely he didn’t give anything away.

“What the fuck was that?”  Karkat asked.

“Nothin’.  She’s just a bitch,” Eridan responded.

Terezi shot the male a look.  “Eridan.  You need to say something.  One way or another, they’re going to get involved.  You and I both know how the Serket's work.”

The Ampora sighed, his shoulders hunching slightly as he looked at the small group one-by-one.  “Okay, fine."  He paused for a moment before continuing, "Vris is in a gang.”

“What?”  Feferi asked, sounding breathless.

“Yeah, she’s in a gang.  A ruthless, blood-thirsty gang, but still a gang.  She’s, um, our rival,” Eridan responded.

“ _Our_?  Like, you and Terezi?”  Karkat asked, his voice sounding confused.

“No, as in my family.  We came to America from Scotland because the Serket's were responsible for my mother’s death.  They killed her and sent in a video proving all of it,” Eridan said, looking away.  He hated talking about his mother and her death, but he knew it was vital information, especially since he was coming clean about everything.

“So, you’re in a gang too?”  Sollux asked quietly.

Eridan nodded, refusing to meet any of the other’s glances.  He couldn’t imagine what their expressions held.  Hatred?  Probably.  Confusion?  More likely than not.  Surprise?  Hell yes.  The male wanted to run from the questions he was assuming they would have.  Who wouldn’t have questions after learning someone they had learned to accept was in a gang?

The group looked at one another, the air around them growing quiet and uncomfortable until Feferi spoke up.

“Well, we’re here to help you with whatever you need.  It’s about time someone showed Vriska what’s what around here,” she said, her hair bouncing along with her head as she spoke.

“That goes for all of us, Eridan.  We’re in this together,” Terezi added on, resting a comforting hand on Eridan’s shoulder.

Eridan felt his gut clench.  How could they have been so quick to just accept it?  They should’ve asked questions or been quick to disbelief.  What kind of town was he living in?  The male decided not to say anything and simply accept it, though he knew there was one thing he needed to mention.

“None of this is to get out.  Do you guys understand me?  If it does, the penalty is death,” Eridan muttered, his voice low and serious as he spoke.

The group nodded, understanding his words perfectly, though they looked slightly afraid.

“What kind of assholes do you take us for, Ampora?  We wouldn’t just blab all of this randomly.  Do what you need to do, man,” Karkat said with a shrug before going back to his novel.  Eridan wondered how many gang romance novels the male had read.  He hoped Karkat wasn’t expecting something like that to happen, as that wasn’t what being in a gang was about.  There wasn’t romance- nor even friendships, though Eridan supposed he could throw that to the wind, as, sitting in front of him was four friends.  Were they perfect?  No.  But who was?


	9. Debate

Eridan found himself opening up more and more to Sollux, Terezi, Feferi, and Karkat. Of course, he only talked about the gang when he had a heist planned and didn’t want anyone contacting him for the night. The four were understanding; more so than Eridan expected them to be. They hadn’t asked the male many questions, but he was assuming they were ready to burst with them at any point. He didn’t know how he would take all of them when they finally came forth, but he was willing to explain. At least, he thought he was.

The young Ampora looked forward to lunch every day- in fact, he looked forward to school. He’d never had friends and the feeling of actually having people to associate with- to make him feel normal, was a feeling he grew attached to quickly. Not only was the aspect of friends present, the realization that he had crushes on two of them was present. Karkat and Sollux. He wasn’t sure where the feelings had come from and he wasn’t sure what he’d do about them, but they were there and weighing down on him. He wanted to tell someone, but he knew if he told Darian he’d probably be forced to switch schools, and if he went to Cronus he’d get an ear full on Darian’s rules and how he hadn’t managed to bond with anyone at the school, which most definitely wasn't true. The next person that came to mind in terms of coming out about his feelings was Feferi. He trusted her not to tell the two, but she would be much too peppy about it and Eridan wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Terezi was the last person. He knew she’d poke fun at him for it, but would she really tell?

Eridan decided he would tell Terezi. He did fully trust her, after all. If anything, being the police chief’s daughter, she was almost in the same boat as Eridan- at least in terms of loss around every corner. She had told Eridan that her other parent had lost their life on the job, as they had been an officer as well. In fact, everyone in the group had lost a parent. Karkat’s mother passed away from cancer, Sollux’s mother was killed in a car accident, and Feferi’s father had been killed- granted, it was by her mother, but he was still dead. Eridan wondered if the bond he felt with the group stemmed from the fact that they had all lost someone close to them.

^^^

Eridan stepped into the cafeteria. He was unsure of himself, but knew he couldn’t keep his crushes to himself anymore. If he tried, he knew he’d say something stupid, just like the characters did in the movies or the books he read. The last thing Eridan wanted to be was that guy. Instead, he walked right up to Terezi after shooting the others a nervous smile. He rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned forward.

“I need to talk to you. Privately,” he muttered, standing up straight and waiting for the female’s answer.

Confusion was clear in Terezi’s blue-green eyes, but she shrugged and stood, following the male to the other side of the cafeteria, where a lone table stood, sticking out like a sore thumb. He quickly realized why it was deserted as, upon closer inspection, graffiti littered the top- writing and gum stuck to it. Eridan made a disgusted face and pulled a chair out with the black sleeve of his shirt, sitting away from the table and waiting for Terezi to follow suit. She decided to stand after also giving the table a disgusted look. A group of druggies had sat at the table her freshman year and wrecked the table, but the school decided not to do anything about it. No one was sure why.

“So what do you need to talk to me about?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a brow at the male.

“It’s about Sollux and Karkat.”

Her face brightened, “Oh? Do tell me more.” Her interest was peaked, it was clear. She leaned forward, a large smile on her face.

“I- okay, don’t fuckin’ judge me for this, alright?” The male took a deep breath, looking away for a moment. “I like them. Like, like them.” He looked away quickly, not wanting Terezi to suddenly burst out laughing right in his face and tell him that he’d never have a chance with either of them. He wouldn’t know what to do if she reacted that way.

She stayed silent, making Eridan regret saying a word about it, however she suddenly spoke up after a few moments, “Thank God! I don’t have to keep their stupid, obvious secrets quiet anymore!”

Eridan’s blue eyes shot up to meet hers. “What do you mean?”

“They like you too, you idiot! Sollux hides his crushes well- Karkat on the other hand… he turns into a blushing mess every time you come around. Jesus, Eridan, I figured you, you know, being in a gang would make that obvious,” the female responded, keeping her voice down. Eridan still looked around, making sure no one over heard before giving Terezi a hard glare.

“Hey, keep your voice down about that, Ter,” he growled.

She held her arms up, an innocent look on her face, before her demeanor changed once more and she dropped her arms, pulling up a seat of her own- though making sure she stayed away from the table. “Look, they like you too, that’s what I was getting at. Maybe you should ask one of them out or something.”

Eridan’s eyes widened. “Are you kiddin’? Fuck no! After what happened to my mom, I’d never bring anyone into a life like this. I’m not goin’ to risk either of them gettin’ killed.” What he said was true. He couldn’t put Karkat or Sollux in danger, or Terezi and Feferi for that matter. He was already risking their lives by being involved with them as friends. Lovers would just put a higher target on their backs. He wouldn’t be selfish like that. Plus, he was pushing having friends. If his father found out he had a boyfriend, well, Eridan didn’t want to think of the consequences.

Terezi sighed. “Well, maybe when the Serket bullshit blows over. Which, by the way, is something I want to talk to you about anyway.”

Eridan couldn’t lie and say he was disappointed with the sudden subject change. He was quite thankful. Talking about lovers with Terezi was awkward. She was the type to simply ask someone out without question while he needed to take his time. Plus, his life was simply much too dangerous. He turned his full attention to the Serket's, pushing Karkat and Sollux from his mind. Even if he did want to ask one of them out, he liked both an equal amount and if they both liked him as well, it meant letting one of them down. Eridan didn’t want to even consider disappointing one of them.

“Alright, what about them?” Eridan asked after a slight shake of his head.

“You know that Vriska’s dangerous as well as Melissa, but have you considered just how dangerous Aranea is?” Terezi asked.

“Well yeah, she was in the video of my mom bein’ killed. In fact, she did most of the work, so I’m well aware that she knows what she’s doin’ and can very well kill me,” Eridan responded, curious. Of course all the Serket's were bad, but he knew they were probably equals in horror- though Melissa seemed the worst by far. He was sure she could give his father a run for his money.

“You don’t know what’s gone on here, Eridan.” Her eyes flicked around the room, making sure no one was listening before leaning forward toward the male. “Last year a boy went here. He was a Junior, but really quiet. He didn’t talk to many people, but he got made fun of a lot. Meenah, Feferi’s older sister, gave him a hard time for it. She’s not a bully, per say, but she does like to joke around and she includes everyone in that. She would pick fun at this kid, just for shits in giggles. At first he laughed along too, but I think Meenah messed with him when he was in a bad mood, and he yelled at her. He just said ‘leave me alone’, but Aranea snapped. She hit him a few times and dragged him out of the school. No one really knows what she did to him, but he never came back. Arenea got expelled and the boy’s parents tried to press charges. My mom said what she saw made her stomach churn. She doesn’t talk about it. Eridan, Aranea single-handedly did that, just for him yelling at Meenah. Vriska takes a lot more prompting and insults, and we aren’t too sure about Melissa, but we’re sure she’s the same.

The point is, Aranea is a ticking time-bomb. She’s fucking terrifying when she’s angry because she’s so calm about it,” Terezi finished.

Eridan shrugged. “I can handle her. I’ve seen what she can do, Ter.” Horrifying people didn’t bother him, though the news did change things. It meant Aranea also wasn’t afraid to start a fight in school.

“You don’t understand what I’m getting at. She sticks up for her sister, more so than she does for Meenah. If she sees you messing with Vriska, she could very well do what she did to that kid to you,” Terezi said, rolling her eyes.

“I’ve been trained. I’ll be expectin’ it. Don’t worry, okay?” Eridan said, trying to reassure her. He knew they all posed a threat and that he needed to tread carefully, especially since Cronus didn’t like fighting in public. If both of them decided to jump at the chance to have a go at Eridan, he’d be on his own- unless, of course, Terezi had his back. He didn’t doubt that she did, but he also didn’t want to drag her into the mix.

Terezi made a small noise and rolled her eyes again, standing. “Fine. Whatever. Let’s go back to the table, I’m starving.”

Eridan nodded and followed the female. The two went back to the table where the others sat, Karkat and Feferi working on homework, and Sollux coding on his laptop. Eridan sat down while the other practically ran to the lunch line to grab food before it closed.

The male pulled out a novel and had just begun to read when Karkat suddenly growled and slammed his pencil to the table, pushing away his notebook and textbook. “Fuck this class! I hate math and whomever created it! Honestly, what the fuck is the point of all these extravagant problems? I want to be an artist, so I don’t need to know half this shit. Adding and subtraction? Definitely. Division and multiplication? Fuck yes. But all this other bullshit? What the fuck?” He crossed his arms over his chest, black bangs falling into his eyes as his brows furrowed angrily.

“Geez, KK, calm down. Don’t have a heart attack. If you wanted, I could help you out,” Sollux said, a slight smirk gracing his features.

“Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather eat razors,” Karkat muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Wow, okay. First, that’s rude as hell. Second, I help you with homework all the time. What’s your deal?” Sollux shot back, his lisp growing thicker in annoyance.

“A lot good your ‘help’ does. If you really fucking helped, I’d know what the fuck I was doing, but oh, what’s that? I don’t!” The smaller male growled, shooting daggers at Sollux.

“You know, you could’ve just said that, asshole.”

“Fuck you, Sollux.” Karkat rested his arms on the table before laying his head down atop them, sighing dramatically.

“I could help if you wanted, Kar,” Eridan offered, shrugging. He didn’t mind helping the other, especially knowing how much he was struggling. Eridan excelled in school, so he knew it wouldn’t be a problem. It would just be a matter of getting out of the night’s heists. He knew his father wouldn’t be too keen about him skipping them to go help people study- people he wasn’t supposed to be friends with.

“Really? Oh my God, you’re a fucking savior, Ampora,” Karkat sighed, lifting his head and looking at the other with big brown eyes.

Eridan offered a smile. “Of course.”

“Would you mind helping me too, Eri-fin? I’m having trouble in history. For some reason I can’t memorize these dates. Maybe you could quiz me or some-fin!” Feferi piped in, looking frazzled with her history book.

“Hey, what the hell, FF, you too?” Sollux growled, looking pointedly at the female.

“Sorry, Sol-fish, but you just get too angry when you’re helping us. You don’t have patience,” Feferi responded, sheepish.

“Who doesn’t have patience?” Terezi asked, appearing before them and taking a seat, automatically digging into her food.

“Me, apparently. Who fucking knew I was so useless?” Sollux muttered before turning his gaze to Eridan. “Congrats, you can help these fuckers out. I’m going back to coding.” He then moved his computer in front of him, hiding his face as he began working once more.

There was a part of Eridan that felt bad for suddenly taking over, but he couldn’t help the sense of satisfaction. The blond tooted his own horn way too often. The fact that Karkat and Feferi were asking for Eridan’s help gave him a sense of pride. Of course, he wouldn’t voice such thoughts, Sollux seemed to be pissed off just enough, and Eridan didn’t want to fuel his anger- not at that moment, anyway.

“Oooh, is there going to be a study party?” Terezi asked, offering a wide grin as she looked around the table.

“It seems like it,” Eridan said, shooting her a smile of his own.

“Hell yes! I don’t need help, but I can help you tutor, Eridan.”

“So where should we meet? The library?” Eridan asked, looking at Karkat and Feferi.

“No, it’s Wednesday. The library closes early. We’d only have about half-an-hour to study, which definitely isn’t sufficient because I need all the help I can fucking get,” Karkat responded, looking away before quickly adding on, “plus, my place is a no-go.”

“Oh, alright. What about you Fef? Maybe a cafe or somethin’?” Eridan asked, hoping it wouldn’t come down to having to go to his place.

“I can’t study when there are tons of people around, and the park and cafes are usually pretty packed after school. We also can’t go to my place because my mom doesn’t know you,” Feferi answered.

“Yeah, her mom’s fucking terrifying,” Karkat shot.

“Oh, she’s not that bad. Just a little intimidating,” the dark-skinned girl giggled.

“’A little intimidating’? Bullshit. She’s terrifying. There’s no way you’ll change my mind on that,” Karkat muttered.

Eridan began losing hope. He began formulating some sort of plan in case it came down to his friends having to go to his place for the ‘study party’. He knew Darian wouldn’t like it, but he usually never turned down those that needed academic help.

“What about your place, Ter?” Eridan asked, his voice slightly hoarse. He looked at her with hope in his eyes, silently begging her to say yes.

Instead, the female shook her head. “My place is also a no-go. My mom works, and she wants to meet any new people that come in. Karkat and Feferi would be fine, but you wouldn’t be Eridan. Plus, you shot her, so I mean-” she trailed off, still wearing a large smile on her face, almost as if she were recalling the way she had practically tricked it out of him. “What about your place?”

Eridan sighed, looking at a few crumbs on the table. “Yeah. I’ll have to ask my Dad. If he says no, I can’t really do anythin’ about it.” He pulled out his phone, shooting a quick text to his dad, ‘hey, I have to tutor a few people. Do you care if they come over?’

Darian replied within a few seconds, ‘They are to stay in the kitchen and be out by seven. You have a heist tonight.’

Eridan stared at his father’s response for a moment before looking up at the others. “He said yes, but there are a few things we need to go over before you actually come over.”

“Lay it on us,” Karkat responded, putting his books away.

“I’m not your friend. You guys can not let my dad in on that. I’m not allowed to have friends and finding out- well, it wouldn’t be good. The next thing, treat my father with respect. Don’t disrespect him, otherwise you’ll be thrown out. Just- I’m your tutor, okay? That’s it,” Eridan said. It was vital they knew how bad things would be if his father found out about them.

“Sounds good to me! You’re just our tutor,” Feferi smiled. “Don’t worry, Eri-fin, we won’t out you or anything. We aren’t like that. You’d think you’d know that by now, you know, having been friends with us for a few months.”

Eridan shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure all of you knew how vital this is.”

The table went quiet as Feferi, Karkat, and Terezi began eating. There was a part of Eridan that felt bad for hitting the others with such information, but he knew he needed to. It would only take one small slip-up for Darian to suspect something and he didn’t want to risk it. He looked around at the others, silently putting all of his trust into them.

“So,” Terezi eventually spoke, pushing her empty tray away from her, “does your dad like debating?”

“Uh, what?” Eridan asked, his brow furrowing.

“Oh God, please tell me you aren’t going to try and debate with Eridan’s dad,” Karkat groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Come on, Karkles, I did it with all of your parents! It would be disrespectful of me not to do so,” Terezi said, grinning.

“One, don’t fucking call me that. I hate it. Two, my dad despised you for three months because you decided to debate with him on the subject of religion. If Eridan’s dad is worse than mine, I can’t imagine what would happen to you.” Karkat pushed his own tray away from him, shooting daggers at Terezi.

“But he forgave me, remember? Now he loves me! All the parents love me, and none of you can deny it,” Terezi cackled.

“Actually, Terezi, my mom finds you really annoying,” Feferi said, looking away from the other female.

Hurt flashed briefly in her eyes. “Well that’s rude. Sollux’s dad likes me, though! Right Mr. Appleberry Blast?”

Sollux didn’t look up from his computer as he responded, “You give my dad a headache every time you come over. He always asks how you have so much energy. Then again, he says the same thing about Mituna and I, so I can’t say he hates you.” He then clamped his mouth shut and continued coding, focusing all of his attention on the screen in front of him.

“Well then! My mom likes me, and that’s good enough for me.” Terezi crossed her arms over her chest before turning her attention back to Eridan. “But really, do you mind if I debate with your dad?”

Eridan opened his mouth to refuse before shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever. Just listen to what I warned you about.”

“Yes!”

^^^

The school day ended, leaving Eridan jittery. He met the others outside the building, watching them from afar as they talked animatedly to one another, seemingly excited about seeing Eridan’s place. He couldn’t find it within himself to share the excitement.

“Are you guys ready?” he asked, walking up to them and interrupting whatever it was they were talking about.

“Yup!” Feferi exclaimed, a large smile on her face.

“Where’s your brother?” Karkat asked, looking around.

“He’s stayin’ after for somethin’, I guess. Is Sol not comin’?”

“No, he’s being a little bitch and giving us the cold shoulder. He’ll be fine by tomorrow,” Terezi said.

“Ah, okay. Well, we better head out,” Eridan said before rubbing the back of his neck. “Could I ride with one of you? I don’t have my license here yet.”

“You can ride with me!” Feferi exclaimed, jumping at the opportunity. She grabbed Eridan’s wrist and pulled him away, calling back to the others, “Follow us there, Terezi!” The female then lead Eridan to her car, a fuchsia Prius. The two got in without much comment and drove to the exit of the parking lot. Feferi then stopped her car, waiting for Terezi to pull up behind her.

“Which way are we going, Eri-fin?” She asked as Terezi pulled up in a beat-up red Taurus.

“Left.”

“Got it!” She flicked her turn signal, looking both ways before pulling out of the parking lot.

“After that, take another left, then you go straight for about a mile, and then there’s a right,” Eridan said.

“Easy; remember that I have problems memorizing things,” the female giggled, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly when she did so.

“My bad. Take the next left coming up,” Eridan said quickly.

Feferi did so and continued straight. “So we haven’t had many chances to talk privately, but you seem to be warming up to everyone.”

“Yeah. Honestly, I’m glad I met you guys. I actually enjoy goin’ to school every day,” Eridan responded, looking out the window as he spoke. “I’ve never had friends, so I hope I’m doin' okay.”

Feferi stayed quiet for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure how to tread the topic. However, she eventually began to speak. “You’re doing fin-tastic, Eri-fin. We all enjoy having you so much. You’re really becoming part of the group!” She looked away from the road briefly to shoot the other a quick smile. “Trust me, if you weren’t, we wouldn’t talk to you.”

The teen couldn’t help but smile at Feferi’s words, though he stayed quiet, only speaking when she needed to know where to go. Within twenty minutes, they had arrived at the Ampora household. Everyone unloaded themselves from the vehicles, stepping up to the large home looming in front of them. Karkat had wide, fearful eyes.

“You live here?” Karkat asked, an audible gulp breaking the thick silence that had formed.

“Well, yeah,” Eridan responded, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Am- am I allowed to touch anything?” His dark eyes shot around the perfect landscaping, worry lacing his features. “I feel like the grass is worth more than I am. Fuck, that rock probably is, too.”

“Oh, calm down, Karkles. Let’s go in, Eridan!” Terezi exclaimed, moving toward the door.

Eridan quickly moved ahead of her, pulling his key out of his pocket and opening the door. “I’m home, Dad!”

“I’m in my office. Remember, kitchen and dining room only,” Darian called back before the place went silent.

“This is a really nice place,” Feferi commented, looking at the art work that hung on the wall.

“Yeah, I guess,” he muttered in response. “Follow me.” He then lead the group of three to the kitchen. “Do any of you want anything?”

“What do you have to drink?” Terezi asked.

“Uhm, water, soda, I think we have juice.” Eridan opened the refrigerator, taking a look at the contents inside. “Do any of those sound good?”

“I’ll have water,” Terezi said.

Eridan took a bottle and threw it toward Terezi, watching as she caught it with ease, which surprised him due to her eyesight. He then turned to Karkat and Feferi, though they declined any refreshments. The four sat themselves down in the dining room, everyone taking out their homework and splaying it on the polished wood.

“What section do you need help with, Kar… Karkat, sorry.” Eridan silently scolded himself, reminding himself that only friends gave one another nicknames and he wasn’t their friends. He couldn’t slip up, especially not if his father decided to pay them a visit.

“It’s fine… We’re being taught new, 'fun' bullshit in pre-calc and I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing. We have to do this informational packet and we can’t look up any of the answers. Honestly, I want to cheat, but Ms. Cia is smart as fuck. She’d know,” Karkat responded, carding a hand through his hair.

“What part of the packet are you stuck on?” Eridan asked, holding back a smile aimed at Karkat. He knew the smaller male wouldn’t be too appreciative if he thought Eridan was poking fun at him.

“Vectors.”

“Oh, those are simple. A vector is basically a mathematical entity that has both magnitude and direction. The magnitude is able to be zero. To put it simply, it’s an element of vector space,” Eridan explained, writing down information on vectors on another sheet of paper. “Does that make sense or should I go more in-depth?”

“I think I got it. Thanks.” Karkat began copying the paper, taking a brief pause and thinking about what Eridan said.

“Eri-fin, could I have help with this?” Feferi asked, her voice small and sheepish.

Eridan cringed when he heard Feferi’s nickname. He shot her a glare before scooting toward her.

“Sorry, Eridan,” she whispered, shoulders hunching slightly.

“It’s fine. Just try not to do it again,” Eridan whispered in return before going back to using his normal voice, “So what do you need help with?”

“Memorizing. Sol-fish told me you were really good at it, and I don’t understand how you can memorize things so… easily. Teach me your ways!” Feferi explained, her voice desperate as she sighed and hung her head. “I used to be really good at all of this before the move, and then it’s like I lost everything.”

“Well you’re great at retainin’ information in English. Maybe apply how you memorize things there to history,” Eridan offered.

The female shook her head. “It’s not that easy. History is all about dates, whereas English is full of blocks of information. I’m better at that than small dates that don’t mean much to me.”

“Alright. Usually I write down the date multiple times and then go back and write down what happened with said date. After that I make a little game. I scramble the dates and what happened with said date and practice with that until I grasp it all fully. Does that make sense?” he asked, looking at the section she was going over.

“I think so. I can give it a try, at least. Thank you, Eridan.”

“Just call me over when you’re ready, okay?” At her nod, Eridan began moving back to Karkat, but found Terezi sitting next to him, showing him what to do on one of the problems. With a content sigh, he stood up. “I’m gettin’ a snack. Do you guys want anythin’?”

“Ooh! Do you have any chocolate?” Terezi asked, looking up from a piece of paper.

“Yeah. I’ll be right back.” He then left the room, going to the kitchen and grabbing a chocolate bar and a container of strawberries from the refrigerator.  He then moved back into the dining room, handing Terezi the candy bar and leaving the strawberries for himself.

The group sat in silence. Feferi memorizing what she needed to, Terezi watching Karkat work on his problems, and Eridan working on his own homework while munching silently on strawberries. Soon the silence was broken by Darian entering the room, his chin held high as he looked down on the three strangers sitting in front of him.

“Hello, how are things in here,” he asked.

“Good, Dad, thank you,” Eridan responded, tensing up slightly. He knew his trust in the others would be tested based on how they reacted toward the man.

“Damn,” Terezi began, her face lighting up. “That’s a snazzy suit. Are you, like, a business man or something?”

Darian looked taken aback, however he quickly composed himself before answering, “Thank you, and yes, I am. I run a weaponry business.”

The female looked at the group for a moment before turning her complete attention to Darian. “If that’s the case, then may I ask you a question?” She leaned forward, awaiting an answer, though on the inside she was overcome with excitement.  Darian looked like a tough one to crack- or beat- in a debate, and she desperately needed a challenge.

Eridan dreaded the conversation that would arise from Terezi trying to have a debate with his father. He clenched his fists and looked down at the table, staring hard at the divots in the wood instead of paying attention to what was going on. He wanted to tune it all out and pretend it wasn’t happening.

“You may,” Darian answered, moving his arms to the front and hooking his hands together as he waited patiently.

“What is your opinion on justice in the business world? Like with business moguls taking over lesser businesses, firing employees, when a business is sued by an employee, fair treatment of employees, et cetera,” Terezi asked, a glint of mischief in her blue-green eyes.

It took a moment for Darian to answer, his face stayed passive however. “I think that greediness in the business world is necessary to get anywhere. We are men and women who know what we want and take it when we get the chance. If there’s a potential to expand and bring in more revenue, then we take it.”

“I understand that, but what about the political ramifications in the cases of taking over local businesses to expand a franchise?” Terezi’s persona did a complete 180. She became serious, her face gaining a few creases as she focused all of her energy on what the man was saying.

“Honestly, they don’t matter if the products are in high demand. If a business can take over with better quality products, then the public will still buy them and support the CEO regardless if they like him or her.”

“However, if they really don’t like the CEO, there are people out there who dig up every little bit of information on him or her in order to find even just the littlest thing to have said CEO removed and possibly arrested. What do you think of that?” Terezi wiggled her eyebrows slightly, knowing she had an advantage over Darian.

“I think those types of people are extreme and rare,” Darian said simply with a slight shrug.

Instead of stopping, Terezi kept speaking, not ready to let him back down. “They are much more common than you would think, sir. And especially if the police don’t like them or believe the business is unfair, they’ll get involved.”

“Ah, but that’s where bribery comes into effect. Police are very easily bribed to keep quiet.” Eridan looked up at Darian’s words, wondering if it was a mistake to say what he did. He hoped Terezi wouldn’t say something absolutely absurd that would completely give him away- if she hadn’t already.

“Only some of the more greedy ones. The ones that truly stand for justice may appear to accept the bribe only to stab the CEO in the back as soon as they have enough evidence. After all, true justice will prevail in some way.” It was obvious Terezi knew what she was talking about. Whether she studied everything or spoke to her mother, she knew exactly what she was saying.

Eridan, Feferi, and Karkat watched the debaters closely. The latter two’s eyes were large as they watched everything unfold. Eridan tried to remain as calm as possible, wondering what what going on in his father’s mind. His face still remained passive, though his voice was strained ever so slightly. He knew the others wouldn’t be able to pick it up on it like he had.

“I have never heard of such a case, however, it does seem plausible. Very well. I will concede you on that point. In cases like that, bribery will not work and the CEO will have to face the consequences for their unfair behavior. I must say that I am quite impressed with your extensive knowledge and your ability to debate so well.” Darian offered up a slight smile as he gave Terezi the victory. Eridan couldn’t help but feel surprised, but it also clued him in. He was in trouble; huge trouble. His father knew something, that much was obvious.

“Thank you. I debate with about everyone I meet based on whatever occupation they have or some of their political standpoints. It makes life more fun. If they can handle it, they can stay. If not, they can leave.” Terezi grinned, showing all her teeth, victorious in her debate with Darian.

“A noble point of view. Eridan. May I speak with you in the kitchen?” Darian asked, turning around before Eridan got a chance to answer.

Eridan’s heart sank as he stood, shooting another glare at Terezi. She shrugged, seemingly not understanding what the big deal was. Feferi and Karkat looked nervous, though they tried to mask it by going back to work, keeping their heads down as they did so.

Eridan stepped out of the dining room and into the kitchen where his father stood, a stern look on his face that made Eridan’s blood run cold.

“What were you thinking, boy?” He growled, eyebrows furrowing as Darian looked at his son.

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” Eridan tried to cover, though even he knew it wouldn’t help anything.

“The hell you don’t. How do they know about us?”

“I- told them.”

“You what?” the man growled, disbelief flashing on his face.

“Yeah, I told them. Vriska and I got into a fight and they saw, so I explained everythin’. They deserved an explanation, sir.” Eridan knew in that moment Darian was his boss, not his father.

“What do you mean ‘they deserved an explanation’?” The man’s voice was gruff. If there was one thing Eridan hated more than anything, it was when his father started acting like his grandfather. Alastair Ampora was a terrifying man, and Darian enjoyed modeling himself after the deceased gang leader.

“They’re my friends. I know your rule, but they’re different. I like bein’ around them. Damnit, Dad, I feel fuckin’ normal when I’m with them!” Eridan nearly shouted, raising his arms as he spoke. He wanted Darian to know just how serious he was about Karkat, Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux. “They took the news with minimal surprise. They can handle this.”

“And if they can’t? What then, Eridan? Will you be prepared to kill them?” the gang leader growled, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

Eridan froze. He hadn’t thought about actually killing them. The teenager trusted them not to say anything, plus they promised. If it came down to it, would he really be able to do such a thing? Would he be able to take their lives and watch the light fade in their eyes? No. He wouldn’t be able to, but he wasn’t about to let Darian in on that. “…Yes. I’ll be able to dispose of them if they say anythin'.”

The man narrowed his eyes at his son, opening his mouth to say something else, but changing his mind. “Get them out of here. You have a heist tonight.”

Eridan nodded and left the room, his shoulders slumping slightly. “You guys have to leave.”

“Eridan, I’m so sorry. I-” Terezi began, but stopped abruptly when Eridan held up a hand.  The group had heard everything said and felt horrible, especially Terezi.

“Don’t.”

“Thanks for your help, Eridan. And I’m sorry things turned out the way they did,” Feferi muttered. “Karkat, do you need me to take you to work?”

Karkat froze as he was putting his things away. “Fuck, what time is it?” he asked, voice filling with terror.

Feferi pulled out her phone. “Six thirty. Why?”

“Oh fucking shit! I was supposed to be there half an hour ago!” Karkat nearly shouted, packing his things up faster. “Feferi, you’d be a lifesaver if you did take me.”

“Don’t worry, that’s why I offered. Hurry, hurry!” Feferi exclaimed, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. “Thanks again for the help, Eri-fin. Come on, Karkat!” She then left the room and moved quickly toward the front door.

“Yeah, Eridan, thanks. Your dad’s terrifying, by the way,” Karkat said before turning on his heel and following Feferi out the door.

Eridan stood by the table quietly before finally speaking. “Kar looked really terrified about bein’ late.”

“He was,” Terezi responded softly.

“Why?” Eridan asked.

Terezi froze briefly, almost as if she were afraid to say. However, she shook her head and began speaking quickly, “He’s not well off, Eridan. He and his brother, Kankri, pay for everything. Kankri’s working two jobs, and Karkat keeps talking about getting another one when Kankri goes off to college. Their father is a pastor and doesn’t make anything.”

“Where does he work?” Eridan asked, getting an idea.

“The Chinese restaurant downtown. He’s been close to losing his job a few times. The shit has a short temper and is brutish toward the patrons, but they need the help. He works seven days a week,” Terezi responded, grabbing her backpack. “Anyway, I’m going to go. I’m sorry for what I said, Eridan.”

The teenager shrugged and walked out of the room, knowing Terezi would find her way out easily enough. He was angry at her, and he knew it showed. How could he not be? She had let his father in on everything when he asked her not to. He asked for one thing, and she betrayed him. Eridan felt his hands clench into hard fists as he entered the kitchen where his father stood.

“Are they gone?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ve called a few men. Get ready for the heist, I’ll give you instructions when they get here,” Darian said, “Oh, and Eridan.”

“Y-” Eridan’s response was cut off by a sharp slap to the face. He hadn’t seen it coming in that moment, but it was there. Of course he would have to pay for not following his father’s orders. Just because he was the son of a gang leader didn’t mean he was exempt from the punishments. The teenager rubbed at his stinging cheek, glaring at his father.

“Get ready.”

He nodded, preparing to turn on his heel, however, his father’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“…Afterward though, how do you feel about Chinese tonight?” he asked.

Eridan couldn’t help the smile that formed on his aching face. His father was a brute, but he always tried helping those in need- even those like Karkat, who had wormed his way into Eridan’s life. He knew it wasn’t Alastair that Darian got the kindness from- it was Margo.

“I’d like that.”

“Good. Now go.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for taking so long. Recently I've been struggling with my writing abilities. I don't feel good enough, I guess. Honestly, I'm starting to get out of it, so updates will hopefully be much more frequent. So, here's a long chapter as an apology for making all of you wait so long.
> 
> <3


	10. A Helpful Tip

Eridan hated heists he was forced to go on when he was in trouble. His father always made them much harder than necessary to test his strengths and weaknesses. It definitely wasn’t fair treatment, but it was the only treatment he’d ever known- at least after his mother died. Still, he followed what his father said, as testing the man’s patience definitely wasn’t something he or Cronus did often.

The teenager watched his father walk past him, completely ignoring Eridan’s presence. He usually did such things when he was angry at his son, and Eridan had broken two very important rules, so of course Darian would treat him as such. It didn’t mean Eridan appreciated it, however. His cheek still stung from the slap and, upon inspection, it would bruise. That much was certain.

“You alright, Eri?” one of the gang members asked, resting his hand on Eridan’s shoulder.

“Yeah, just got in trouble with the boss earlier,” Eridan responded, not willing to give any more information than that. He didn’t want to know what the gang would think if they knew what Eridan had done.

“That sucks, kid. Hope he didn’t beat your ass too much,” another member that overheard the confession chimed in.

Eridan shot the man a sharp glare, clenching his jaw and refusing to say anything else. Luckily at that moment, Darian stopped in front of them. “Alright, gather around and listen up.” The group stopped talking among themselves and stared up at their boss. That was all Darian was in that moment. He wasn’t a father- just a boss. He held a rein of power over the others, and it was obvious. Eridan still stood tall with his head held high, taking in Darian’s words. “There is a small gang that’s causing trouble downtown. They’re residing in an old junk yard. It’s our job to bring them down. Arthur has all the information on it. Figure out what all of you are doing and head out.”

The group of men nodded and went to Arthur, a small balding man that looked nervous all the time. Eridan was baffled at how he managed to land himself in the Ampora's gang, but he didn’t question it. Obviously, Darian knew what he was doing at all times. The teenager did feel a pang of jealousy at the fact that Darian went to Arthur instead of him. Eridan had usually been the one he went to, though he supposed it was part of his punishment. He did something wrong and, in return, Darian didn’t fill him in on anything- he was just another gang member.

“Okay, so we are to ambush the gang. It’s relatively small, luckily. Their strengths are hand-to-hand, which all of you are very skilled at, so you should have no problem taking them down no matter what. Darian doesn’t want you to use too much gunfire due to the fact that it could draw unwanted attention. There’s a small trailer park close to the junk yard. Be weary. Understood?” Arthur explained, making sure he shot Eridan a shit-eating grin. He was pleased with the fact that he got the orders before Darian’s son. He was reveling in it, and that fact pissed Eridan off.

Still, he and the group nodded, showing they understood Arthur’s explanation. “Good. Eridan and Michael will take them from the front. Andrew and Peter are to take them from the left. Jakob and Sammy are to take them from the right. And Greg and Arnie are to take them from the rear. Is that clear?”

Once again the group nodded. Eridan pulled out his gun, checking to make sure everything was in order before sticking it back in the waistband of his skinny jeans. He made sure he shot Arthur the dirtiest look he could muster before walking away, heading to the back door. However, he stopped to wait for Michael, who was a large Native man with long black hair and a square jaw. The two always showed one another respect, though they hardly knew one another.

“That Arthur is a real piece of work,” Michael muttered when he reached Eridan.

“You’re tellin’ me. God, what a cock,” he responded, rolling his eyes and heading out the door after everyone else. “Anyway, you and I need some sort of plan.”

“I’m the brawn between the two of us,” Michael started, though held up a hand when Eridan shot him a dirty look. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re fucking great at what you do, but you have to admit that, where our strengths lie, you’re better with a gun.” The group piled into the van, Andrew and Peter taking the front seats while the others took to the back. Michael sat across from Eridan. He pulled out a silencer, handing the object to Eridan, who pulled out his gun, clicking the object into place before laying it on his thigh. “Use it.”

Eridan nodded. “I’ll cover you, alright?”

“And I’ll do the same with you,” Michael responded.

The group then sat in silence until they pulled up quietly to the junkyard. Lights shone brightly into the area, illuminating wrecked cars and other objects that people decided to dump. Plenty of places to hide. Eridan felt like something would go wrong, though he didn’t voice it. If he did so, the others would convince him to go back, and that was the last thing he needed. His father was already angry enough at him, so backing out of the heist was considered a sin at that point.

“Alright, get into place. The signal will be a shrill whistle. Don’t hold back. We’re here to kill. Got it?” Eridan said, looking at everyone with his hard blue eyes.

The men nodded, pulling out their various weapons or cracking their knuckles, preparing for a fight.

“Let’s do this,” Eridan muttered, opening the back door of the van quickly and looking around. Once he knew the coast was clear, he stepped out, cocking his gun and holding it at the ready. If the Ampora's knew about them, there was a good chance the gang knew about them and would be ready. However, he realized no one was around. The place was eerily quiet, which didn’t make the young Ampora feel any better. Still, he gestured to the others, pointing in the directions they needed to go. No one spoke or closed doors. They simply went about their jobs quickly and quietly.

Michael and Eridan looked at one another, both nodding at the same time before moving forward. They made sure they stepped carefully. It would only take one wrong move and everything could go downward for the gang. The teenager kept his breathing under control, making sure he didn’t make any sounds. The two reached the gate of the junkyard with ease. They looked in, seeing nothing. It was almost as if everyone were asleep, though it didn’t seem possible. What gang went to sleep at 7? Eridan kept his eyes peeled, watching for movement. It wasn’t until nearly the last second that he saw it. The glint of a gun.

“The signal… now!” Eridan growled at Michael, pushing him to the wall as a gunshot rang out, colliding with the pipe the man had been standing in front of seconds prior.

The man whistled loudly before turning to the teenager. “They were fucking expecting us. How typical. You ready for a good fight though, kid?”

Eridan nodded, taking a deep breath and checking over his gun quickly before looking around the corner of the wall they stood behind. The saw a head poking out from behind a trashed refrigerator and decided it was then or never. He took aim and fired, hitting the enemy perfectly and watching blood erupt from the other side of his skull. Eridan smirked as the yelling began and more gunshots rang out. With the enemy dropping like flies, Eridan knew it would be time to head in and fully attack. He didn’t like attacking from a distance anyhow. It wasn’t as exhilarating.

“Whistle again so they know to go in. Remember, no one is to escape,” Eridan said, shooting another man in the chest and watching him fall backward into one of his comrades.

Michael did as he was told, watching Andrew and Peter quickly and quietly climb the fence, wasting no time in getting over and taking down more of the gang. Eridan and Michael ran in after, knocking down the weakened fence with ease. The teen found himself surprised that the fence didn’t fall forward when the others scaled it. However, he didn’t waste too much time in thinking about it, as a few of the rival gang had begun withdrawing from their hiding places. One held up a gun of his own, though was quickly taken down by him. He continued shooting, watching Michael’s back as he did so.

Soon, the rival gang was no more. The members lay sprawled around the junkyard, crimson coating the ground as it ran freely from the deceased bodies. The victorious’ breaths came out heavy, though none of them were hurt too bad. Eridan had felt a bullet graze his thigh, but knew it wasn’t a big deal. His adrenaline was wearing off, and it didn’t cause him much pain. As long as he could walk, he was okay. Michael had received a cut to his cheek, though it didn’t look too serious. The rest of the gang had minor cuts and bruises, nothing more.

The eight members gathered around the van, grabbing five large portable gas tanks and going back to the junkyard, dousing the place in the potent fluid. Once the objects were empty, they quickly moved outside of the small war zone and lit a few matches, dropping it on the gasoline and watching the place go up. The group didn’t waste time waiting around, instead quickly getting into their vehicle and making a break. Eridan tended to the members' wounds as best he could, though he knew Jerome could do a better job.

“All of you did great,” Eridan commented, wrapping cloth around his thigh to staunch the bleeding.

The group didn’t speak, though Eridan found he didn’t mind. He enjoyed the quiet as they went back to Darian’s.

When the members arrived, they walked into the house. Darian sat in his office, awaiting their return, but when he heard word they were back, he still refused to look at his son. Eridan felt a pang of… something in his gut, though he couldn’t quite place what it was. He’d never had his father be so angry with him. It was then that Eridan knew just how much he’d fucked up. It also meant his punishment was far from over. The young Ampora knew a simple slap to the face wouldn’t be the only thing his father would inflict on him.

“You got all of them?” the boss asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

The members nodded, though it was Michael that spoke up, “All of ‘em. There were no survivors. After we made sure, we lit the place up.”

“Good. Now, all of you get cleaned up. We’re going out to dinner. I expect all of you to be there in twenty minutes,” Darian said. “The Chinese restaurant downtown. Don’t be late.” Without another word, the man turned on his heel and went back to the office, closing the door behind him.

Eridan looked back at Michael, who’s cheek was being tended to by Jerome. The member gave him a simple thumbs up before wincing from the pain of alcohol on his face. Eridan decided to change and get ready. He didn’t want Karkat to see him post-battle, if his friend was even there, that is. Still, he didn’t want to take the chance. He pulled on another pair of skinny jeans, re-wrapping his thigh, and then pulling on a violet turtleneck before tending to his hair. He made sure the vibrant violet could be seen. He then wrapped a scarf around his neck and deemed himself ready enough.

He went to Cronus’ room, knocking on the door. His elder brother had next to nothing for a social life- not that he'd be allowed out anyhow, so he knew he’d be in his room if he hadn’t been downstairs.

“What d’ya want?” Cronus called from within, his voice sounding annoyed.

“Come to dinner. We’re goin’ out,” Eridan responded, giving the door a small kick before going downstairs.

His father looked at him for a second before turning away with a small tsk. Eridan tried hard to not roll his eyes in return. He hated it when his father cocked a teenage attitude. That was his and Cronus’ job, not a thirty-seven year old man’s. Eridan wondered what his father was like as a teenager. He knew he had been whipped by his father, but how was he outside of that? How did he act when he wasn’t in Alastair’s presence? It didn’t take long for Eridan to realize that he really didn’t want to think about his father as a teen. It was strange, and he didn’t like thinking about it because it got him to think about Margo and after that, it would just cause a train wreck of emotions. He didn’t want to deal with heightened emotions, especially not before seeing Karkat.

Cronus came down the stairs shortly after Eridan pulled on a pair of black boots. He ran a comb through his black hair, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, looking like it was in desperate need of an ashing. “So where are we going for dinner?”

“The Chinese place downtown. We really need to head out, though. I don’t know what time it closes,” Eridan said, pulling out his phone and checking the time. 8:30.

The elder Ampora put on his own shoes, waiting for Darian’s go-ahead to head to the car. Once he did, the two practical ran out. Not only was Eridan looking forward to seeing Karkat, he was also starving. His stomach growled loudly, and a wave of nausea had crashed over him. Heists always left him famished.

The Amporas and the rest of the gang met up on time at the restaurant, all of them going in together and asking for a table. The woman at the front looked perplexed and slightly annoyed, though she still nodded, showing the group to a table and walking away with a simple bow. Eridan looked at his father, who had an eyebrow raised. Darian Ampora absolutely loathed people that didn’t treat customers with respect, especially a customer such as himself. He looked important, and he knew it. Eridan only hoped Karkat wouldn’t be so rude.

He found himself pleasantly surprised, as soon the small male walked out of the back, a notepad and pencil in hand. He looked tired, too tired. However, he still put on a smile, though it fell short when he saw the large group sitting before him.

“Hey, I’m Karkat Vantas and I’ll be your- oh my God…” His mouth fell open as he looked up and down the table where eleven men sat hungrily. “Ahem, sorry. What can I get you to drink?” The male’s brown eyes fell on Eridan, surprise filling the orbs, though it was quickly masked as the men began calling out what they wanted. Karkat took it all down with ease. “Alright. I’ll get those out to you shortly. I’m assuming you guys need some time to look at the menu?”

The group nodded and Karkat nodded in return, walking away to get the drink orders placed. The members began chatting quietly to one another, though Eridan stayed quiet, staring after Karkat. With the heist behind him, he focused on the fact that Terezi had outed him. He put his trust in her and she threw it back in his face- whether she meant to or not. He wasn’t sure what to do about it, though. Ignore her existence? Talk to her about it? Talking seemed like the more plausible answer, but he wasn’t sure if he could face her without getting angry. He didn’t blame Feferi or Karkat, though he wished one of them would’ve stepped in and stopped the female. He looked at his father from his peripheral, noticing his set jaw and hard eyes. Eridan knew he was still pissed. Hell, the teenager could practically feel the anger radiating from his father.

Karkat came back five minutes later, handing everyone their drinks, though he didn’t meet Eridan’s eyes. “Have you decided what you want?”

The group nodded. Eridan pulled out his notepad and pen, taking the group’s orders and then going back to the back to put everything in. Eridan wanted to talk to him, but didn’t know how to go about it. He wanted to talk to his father, but knew he wouldn’t be listened to. Instead, he settled with Cronus, though when he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. It was as if all the chit-chat had been sucked out of him. Luckily, his older brother saw just how much he was struggling.

“You okay, Eri?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“Yeah, I’m just tired, I guess,” Eridan responded, crossing his arms over his chest and sending another quick glance toward his father. The man wasn’t giving him the time of day, though. His hard blue eyes stared straight ahead, focusing on the wall. Eridan rolled his eyes, deciding to play the immature route as well. After all, he was a teenager. He had every right. “Don’t you hate it when grown fuckin’ men act like they’re five, Cro?”

Confusion blinked in Cronus’ eyes as he stared at Eridan, trying to figure out what his little brother meant. It didn’t take him long to fully process it, though. His eyes went wide, and he shook his head, looking down. He cursed in his mind. Of course Cronus wouldn’t play along; he never did- at least, unless Darian had wronged him as well. While Cronus didn’t want any part of the spat between Eridan and their father, Darian decided to finally respond, acknowledging his youngest son.

“It’s not as bad as when you give specific orders that have been in place for years, and your son decides to toss it all out the window. But that doesn’t matter, now does it, Eridan? What I ask of you doesn’t matter at all to you, does it?” the man growled.

“Mom would’ve let me have friends,” Eridan spat.

“Well, she’s not here, is she?” Darian then turned his glare back to the wall, once again shutting his son out completely. Eridan shook his head in anger, wanting nothing more than to stand up and scream at his father, however he didn’t want the gang to see him like that, nor did he want Karkat to see him. Still, the urge was there and hard to ignore.

Eventually, Karkat and another worker brought the gang’s food out, setting everything down in front of them and standing back. “Does everything look okay?”

Everyone nodded, automatically digging in. Karkat offered a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes, and walked away. Eridan wanted to follow him and ask if everything was still okay between them. After all, it was Terezi he was pissed at, not Karkat. However, pissing his father off even more in a day didn’t exactly strike him as appealing, so he held himself back. Instead, he dug into his food, losing himself in the sweet bliss that is Chinese.

Karkat came to check on the group periodically, giving beverage refills as necessary and clearing out plates when they were finished. He looked even more tired than when the group first arrived, however he did his job well, keeping up on everything and not giving anyone attitude. Eridan was surprised with the male’s work ethic. He was so angry any other time, but acting calm and professional in front of customers. His respect for the other raised quite a bit.

“How would all of you like to split the bill?” Karkat asked, the fifth time around the table.

“I’ll pay for all of them,” Darian stated, wiping around his mouth with a napkin before setting the soiled cloth on his empty plate.

“Alright. And can I get any of you dessert?”

Everyone shook their heads, completely full from the food, which was surprising for gang members that had just finished an intense heist. Karkat nodded, walking away to get Darian a receipt. The group sat in silence until he returned. Eridan, knowing they were finished, pulled out his wallet, taking out three-hundred dollars and setting it on the table near Darian. Michael shot the young Ampora a smirk before pulling out four-hundred and setting it on top of Eridan’s cash. If gang members were anything, it was rich, especially a gang like the Amporas. The rest of the men followed suit, at least pulling out one-hundred dollar bills. Darian pulled out four-hundred and Cronus added three-hundred to the mix. The total for the tip was well over two-thousand dollars.

Eridan smirked at the cash sitting neatly on the table, wanting to stick around to see what Karkat’s reaction was. However, the others were putting on their coats and preparing to leave. He followed suit- the group leaving before Karkat came back out.

The young Vantas exited the back, surprised to see everyone had gone. He sighed, pleased that he was able to put on his resting bitch face once again. Though, when he reached the table, his mouth fell open when his eyes landed on the stack of cash laying there. With a shaking hand, he picked up the bills, counting all of it. He shook his head, wondering how someone could mix up one-hundred bills with one dollar bills. Still, he wrapped a rubber band around the wad and put it in his back pocket, fully prepared to bring it up to Eridan and insult his intelligence the next day.

^^^

Darian, Cronus, and Eridan found themselves back home with full stomachs. The latter was fully prepared to finish his homework and go to bed, not wanting to spend another minute around his father. He was thankful they were back home, as it meant he didn’t have to put on a fake exterior around the man.

However, Darian wasn’t about to let Eridan off easily. Instead of letting him go, the man called his son back. “Eridan, come to my office. I need to speak with you.” The tone of Darian’s voice sent chills down Eridan’s spine. He knew the upcoming conversation wouldn’t be a good one. Not only had Eridan disobeyed him, he’d also given him a hard time in front of the rest of the gang, which was a sin in itself.

The teenager shot a look toward Cronus and left room, following Darian into his office- a large space with bookshelves and a desk. It was the place Darian spent most of his time, as he had a lot of planning and paperwork to do. It wasn’t something that could be pushed aside.

The man stood in front of his desk, a livid look present on his face. The expression twisted his face, making it look frightening. Eridan looked away, casting his eyes downward. When the man was angry, it was best not to look him in the eyes- reminiscent of a predator.

“I’m hoping you didn’t think the heist and that weak slap was your punishment, boy,” he growled. Eridan could hear the man approaching him quickly. He tensed up, unable to help it.

“No, sir.”

“Good.” Without waiting another moment, Darian swung his fist, catching Eridan’s cheek and sending his face to the side. Eridan hissed in pain, letting his glasses fall to the floor. Darian then hit the teenager again, sending him stumbling backward- his back colliding with the wall. Eridan coughed a few times, the breath having been knocked out of him. However, the man was far from finished. Instead, he kept going, a reign of punches being washed over his son's body.

Eridan struggled to stand, his knees buckling until he fell. Even then, his father aimed a hard kick at his gut. He gasped, being overcome by a coughing fit. He felt like a few of his ribs were cracked, though he didn’t say anything. Instead, he tried staying as quiet as possible, not wanting to push his father even further. Fortunately for him, Darian was finished. He backed up, breathing hard.

“Maybe that’ll teach you not to disobey me, boy. Now get out of my sight,” the man snarled, his blue eyes hard.

Eridan nodded once the coughing ceased. He felt around for his glasses, picking them up and stumbling out of his father’s office. Cronus stood outside, looking concerned, but not speaking. Eridan didn’t mind, as he would’ve pushed him away anyway. He dragged himself upstairs, pain blooming in his cheek and torso. He hoped his injuries weren’t as bad as they felt. School would be hard to get through if that was the case.

Luck didn’t seem to be on Eridan’s side, though, as when he looked in the mirror, a cut up face stared back. The left side of his face was bruising, and a cut on his cheekbone bled profusely. Eridan assumed it was from one of his father’s rings. Instead of looking at himself for too long, the teenager set about cleaning his wounds, knowing he’d have to wear make-up the next day.

He eventually went to bed, not bothering to do his homework. Eridan was much too sore for anything of the sort. He fell asleep dreaming of ways to get back at Terezi.


	11. Apologies and Confrontations

While asleep, Eridan figured out exactly how he was going to get back at Terezi. He simply wasn’t going to speak to her. He wasn’t sure if it would prove to be efficient or even teach her a lesson, but it was the only thing that came to mind. He left the house early, easily getting past his father’s office and walking to school. As he walked, he came across a Starbucks. While it took an hour on foot to get to school, the teenager knew he had time to stop. Plus, he had to live up to his ‘hipster’ lifestyle. Cronus constantly teased him about it, though once Eridan realized what a hipster was, he actually agreed with his elder brother. He went inside the establishment, ordering a coffee and waiting patiently. As he waited, he took a look at his reflection.

Eridan was one to wear makeup normally, as being in a gang usually gave one many scars, however he had to cover up the fresh markings his father had given him the night prior. He didn’t want anyone questioning him. His blue and gray scarf covered up the gang symbol- two lightning shaped scars on his neck, and the rest of his clothing covered up the various other markings on his body, bearing scars from both his father, brother, grandfather, and those who were against the gang. He hated the fact that he had to cover up, especially when summer came around, but it was the best way to avoid questioning. He had no choice.

Once the teenager received his coffee, he left the cafe, walking to school without any other stops. He didn’t know how he was going to go about not speaking to Terezi. She was always with the others, with the exception of physical education. However, no one had time to talk to one another in the class. As soon as the bell rang, the coach would make them get to work. He never wasted a minute. It was one of the reasons Eridan and Vriska hadn’t had any run-ins in the class. Still, in his mind, the only way to get to Terezi would be ignoring all of them. He didn’t necessarily want to do it, but knew that if he talked to the others, she would be there too. Plus, there was the chance they could report to her about everything he said. He wouldn’t let that happen.

Eridan finished his coffee just as he reached the school, where students were walking aimlessly in. As he entered, Eridan’s eyes caught Vriska’s. She sent him a grin, waving at him before walking away. Eridan simply scowled, hating the way she teased him. He wanted to do something about her. The lump sticking out slightly of the back of his pants grew heavy. He desperately wanted to whip it out and end Vriska then and there, but he wasn’t allowed to even have a gun since his permit hadn’t gone through. Not to mention, killing someone in a school would easily land Eridan in prison.

He shook his head and went to his locker, grabbing everything he needed for class and heading in. He didn’t bother waiting for any of the others, and he knew he would need to sit away from Feferi and Sollux in their various classes. The teenager wasn’t as worried about Nepeta and Equius as the latter usually kept Nepeta away during class. Eridan found that he never minded- Nepeta was much too happy and jumpy for Eridan’s tastes. She was nothing like Feferi. Eridan bit his lip, trying to get her out of his mind. He couldn’t think about them- it would only make him want to talk to them.

^^^

Eridan found that the classes he had with his friends were surprisingly hard to get through. He didn’t speak a word during any of them, earning strange looks from Feferi and Sollux, though, when they approached him, he brushed them off, saying he needed to do something else. He couldn’t tell what reactions he was gaining from them, but they weren’t happy about it, nor did they seem angry. It was almost as if they were hurt. There was a part of him that felt bad for doing what he was doing, but it was the only revenge he could think to get that didn’t involve some sort of violence.

Eventually lunch came around, and the teenager found that he wasn’t sure what to do. He’d gotten so used to sitting with the others that he instead stood in the bathroom, thinking things through. On one hand, he could sit with him anyway and simply ignore all of them, or he could just walk by and go outside to eat. The male decided the latter solution would be much better. He gave himself a quick once-over in the mirror, before turning to walk out. However, another presence made itself known. Feferi.

The female stormed into the bathroom, her brown eyes blazing as she stopped just short of Eridan.

“What did you do to Karkat?” she demanded.

“Um, excuse me?” Eridan asked, completely taken aback by the female's question. He expected her to ask why he’d been ignoring her all day, not throwing Karkat into the mix. Confusion was plastered on his face, however Feferi poked his chest hard.

“Don’t play stupid, mister! He’s been acting off all day and you’ve been ignoring us. I know you did something, so what is it?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for an answer Eridan wasn’t sure he had.

Terezi then came into the restroom. Her face slightly flushed. “God damnit, Feferi! Don’t just run off like that.” The female caught sight of Eridan, her blue-green eyes narrowing when she did. Eridan wanted to hold his arms up in defense. He didn’t do anything to Karkat- he simply wanted to ignore the others to get at Terezi, though he knew that would fly out the window, because the females looked like they meant business. “You know Eridan, I expected you to be pissed at me, but ignoring the others and doing whatever you did to Karkat? That’s not okay. We want to know what you did.”

“I didn’t do anythin’ to Kar! I mean, I was ignorin’ all of you to get at Ter, but that’s it. I haven’t said a word to any of you!” Eridan said, speaking the truth, though he could tell the females didn’t buy it.

“Well, I told you about the restaurant. Did you go there last night?” Terezi asked.

Feferi’s face fell from anger to confusion as she looked at Terezi. “You told him about Karkat’s job? What all did you say?”

“I told him everything, Feferi. He would’ve found out anyway,” Terezi muttered before her eyes grew hard. “Now tell us, dammit! Did you go or not?”

“Yes, I went, okay?” Eridan said, wanting to shout, but keeping his voice under control. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself.

“And? What did y-” Terezi began, though was cut off by another gruff voice.

“What in the fuck is going on in here? I said he didn’t do anything to me!” Karkat growled, making himself known in the bathroom. He looked tired and upset.  Eridan knew it wasn’t him that did it. How could it have been? He and the gang had simply walked in, ordered, ate, and left. They had even left him a good tip. What was there to be upset over?

Feferi took a step back from the Ampora as Sollux walked in as well, his mouth too busy with a sandwich to actually get anything coherent out. Instead, he stood by and watched everything unfold, but not after shooting Eridan a glare. It was obvious the male was pissed off at Eridan, which made him feel horrible. He hadn’t meant to punish the whole group- including himself.

“You seemed really upset, Kar-crab. We just wanted to find out why.” The dark-skinned female looked away from Karkat.

“I told you I would handle it. I just needed to figure out how, but I guess I have no choice now.” Karkat turned to Eridan, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wad of cash. “I don’t know how you, of all people, could be so stupid, but you and your- family? Gang? Whatever- gave me one hundreds instead of one dollar bills.”

Eridan’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the cash in Karkat’s hand before his blue eyes traveled up to the male’s face. “Kar, I’m a lot of things, but an idiot isn’t one of them. That was done on purpose.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Why was it done on purpose? Fuck, how did you even know I work-” The male froze, the surprise fleeing from his face and instead being replaced by confusion as he turned to the others. “Did any of you tell him?”

Terezi cleared her throat, looking sheepish. “Um, yeah. I did. He would’ve figured it out anyway, Karkat. You know that! All of us did.”

“Yeah, because I actually told you. That’s such a fucking invasion, Terezi!” Karkat growled, before turning to Eridan, completely shutting the female and whatever she had to say down. “Why did you do this?”

“You deserved it,” Eridan responded, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

“I deserved about three-thousand dollars?” The male sputtered.

“Yes. And the rest of the gang thought so, too. I didn’t ask anyone to tip; they just did.”

Karkat nodded before looked down at the cash in his hand. “I’ve never held so much money in my entire life. I don’t know what to do with it.”

“You could put it in the bank!” Feferi exclaimed, jumping forward.

“I don’t have an account,” the male muttered.

“Shit man, do you still have to hand over all the money you make to your dad?” Sollux asked, polishing off his sandwich.

Karkat nodded and sighed, sinking down to the grimy bathroom floor. “Every single paycheck goes to him, but I don’t want to hand it over. I want it to be mine… Fuck, that makes me selfish, doesn’t it? Way to go me! Son of the year award goes to me.”

“KK, if anything, you deserve that money. You earned it, so you should keep it. I can take you to the bank after school if you want, or my dad can do it,” Sollux said, leaning over and resting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Won’t Simon tell my dad?” Karkat asked incredulously.

“Fuck no. My dad hates the rules Karcer has in place. The fact that you two have to make all the money in the household infuriates him. I think he’s tried to talk to your dad about it, but he always gets brushed off.” Sollux shrugged. “If you want, I can call him and figure it out.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Karkat responded and then turned his attention to Eridan once more. “Thank you, by the way.”

“Don’t mention it,” Eridan responded quickly, pushing his hands into his pockets. He then looked at Feferi and Terezi, wanting some form of apology. They had jumped the gun when he didn’t deserve it. They hadn’t known the reasoning's behind anything and still chose to blame Eridan. There was a part of him that knew why, but he pushed it away, pride getting the best of him.

Feferi looked sheepish, brushing her long black hair over one shoulder. “I’m sorry, Eri-fin. You were just ignoring us, and Kar-crab has been upset all day. We just- got worried I guess. I really am sorry for putting the blame on you.”

He stared at the female for a long moment before shrugging. “It’s okay. I’m sorry for bein’ weird today, I just-”

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” Terezi asked, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Eridan with hard eyes.

Eridan nodded, looking away from her gaze.

“It was an accident, Eridan. Plus, you didn’t have to punish everyone else to get at me. I’m sorry, okay?” Terezi said, letting her arms fall to the side as Sollux helped Karkat up. The male’s lack of talking signaled the fact that he had been filled in- he knew what was going on.

The Ampora shook his head, his eyes moving to Terezi’s face before he set his jaw. Suddenly, it was as if he couldn’t think. The male moved forward, grabbing paper towels and wetting them before wiping off part of his makeup- exposing the large cut his father gave him. The others watched as he did so, at first showing confusion until they realized just what was underneath.

“Oh my God,” Sollux whispered.

Eridan turned to the others. “This is what happened last night. This was my punishment, so forgive me for not lettin’ you off the hook so easily.”

“I’m so sorry,” Terezi whispered, her eyes moving downward. Eridan knew she was telling the truth. One couldn’t fake that kind of body language- he’d tried it. Still, he wasn’t sure if he could forgive her at that moment.

“Thank you for your apology, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to accept it yet,” Eridan muttered, opening up his bag and pulling out his makeup, quickly reapplying it. He knew there was a reason to bring it to school.

“As long as you know it’s out there,” Terezi responded, her voice sounding slightly withdrawn.

“Let’s go back to the lunch room?” From the sound of it, Feferi meant it as an excited statement, though it came out as more of a question. There was no doubt that she felt the tension, as did everyone else. Still, the others nodded in unison before filing out of the room quietly.

Eridan sighed, feeling like he had fucked up beyond repair. His plan had completely backfired, blown up in his face. However, he was happy the others weren’t shunning him in return, plus Terezi and Feferi had apologized, and it was clear they meant it. He was pleased about that.

Upon entering, the male’s eyes landed on Vriska and Tavros. The female had a look of anger on her face, talking in a low voice to Tavros, who looked frightened. Eridan decided to take his aggression out on the female. Not only was he already ticked off about everything that happened, he hated the fact that Tavros put up with her disgusting antics. He didn’t know the male, but from the looks of it, he deserved much better than a bitch like Vriska Serket.

Before thinking through his actions, Eridan found his legs moving toward the couple. He stopped just short of the blonde, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Leave him alone, Serket,” the raven-haired male growled.

Vriska turned toward him slowly, rage clear on her features. “Or what, Ampora? This isn’t your fucking fight.”

“Obviously it isn’t Nitram’s, either. You’re bein’ a fuckin’ bully to him. In fact, in most areas, the way you’re treatin’ him would be considered abuse. Not that you’d know anythin’ about that, though,” Eridan responded, crossing his arms over his chest, though he was prepared to fight if Vriska so chose to do so. He hoped she would throw the first punch. In fact, he was begging her to in his mind.

“Whatever. This isn’t your business. Go away before I make you,” she responded, facing Eridan completely.

“Then make me, cunt.”

Without anymore prompting, Vriska threw a punch, hitting Eridan square in the jaw and knocking his head to the side. He didn’t waste any time in hitting her back. He let his anger fuel him, jumping forward and knocking the blonde to the ground, hearing her head slam against the floor. She looked dazed by the impact, the anger leaving her eyes momentarily before she shook her head, grabbing the front of Eridan’s shirt and pushing him forward and then back quickly.

The movement was enough to knock Eridan off the female. Before he could even consider getting up, she was on him, throwing punch after punch. A crowd of students began circling the fighting teenagers, their phones out and filming the scene in front of them. To Eridan, though, none of them were there. It was just him and Vriska. He thought about what it would take to kill her. All he would need to do was pull out a gun and shoot her in the head- instant kill shot. However, it would be in front of many people. It wouldn’t be worth the consequences. Instead, he fought her back with his bare hands, scratching and hitting- inflicting as much pain as possible.

Eridan was able to flip the female onto her back, coming out on top as he continued hitting her. He felt the skin on his knuckles split, the blood flowing and mixing with Vriska’s. His rings cut her face, making short sobs start escaping her lips as she stopped hitting and simply tried to defend herself. Grunts escaped the male’s own lips as he landed hit after hit. Unfortunately, it didn’t last too long as soon enough, someone was grabbing him, pulling him off of Vriska and slamming him against the wall.

He continued trying to hit until he saw who it was. Aranea. He froze suddenly, though still managed a snarl. Unfortunately, Eridan had used a lot of his strength on Vriska, which meant he didn’t have enough to get away from her older sister.

Aranea’s hand tightened around his throat, squeezing painfully and cutting off Eridan’s supply of air. His face began turning red as he stared at her, struggling for breath.

“Don’t you ever touch my sister again, faggot. If you do, I’ll choke you until there isn’t a breath left in your pathetic body. I’ll do what I did to your mother. What would your daddy think about that?” she hissed, her voice low, but obviously meaning business. “Do you understand me, Ampora?”

Eridan managed a small nod, though he was going light-headed as he struggled to get a breath in.

“Good.” Aranea then let him drop, turning away from him and going to her sister, who was struggling to sit up. “Come on Vriska, let’s get you home.” The females then left just as the principle walked in.

“Mr. Ampora! My office, now!” she barked.

Eridan rolled his eyes, coughing a few times before standing on shaky legs. He looked over at his friends, who stood shell-shocked- their eyes wide and their body language clear that they were afraid of him. Eridan knew he could understand why. If Aranea hadn’t stepped in, he might have killed Vriska anyway.

He tried to push that from his mind as he walked toward the principal. He knew suspension probably faced him, but Eridan wasn’t worried about that. He was worried about what his father would say. No doubt Darian wouldn’t be too pleased to hear he almost beat someone to death in the lunch room. Fear struck the teenager. Not only did have to worry about Aranea, he had to worry about his father as well.


	12. The Call

“You what?” Darian’s voice boomed over the phone, forcing Eridan to take the device away from his ear while wincing.

“I got suspended for a week, Dad,” Eridan responded, his voice low. Needless to say, he was nervous. He could clearly hear the anger and disappointment in his father’s voice, making him feel even worse than he already did. However, he decided to keep things simple. He couldn’t argue. “So I need you to pick me up.”

“I’ll be there in ten, and you’re going to tell me exactly what happened. Do you understand me, boy?” Darian growled, though didn’t wait for his son to respond. A clear click could be heard on the other line.

Eridan sighed, putting his phone away and resting his head in his hands. He hated the fact that he had gotten himself into such a situation. All he really remembered was getting angry and lashing out when Vriska hit him. He hated her more so. He hated the situation. Fuck, he hated everything. There was no denying it anymore. He sat in the principle’s office, his book bag by his feet and his eyes staring at the carpet, watching an insect move around move around in the grooves. Eridan tried not to think about what his father would do. More likely than not he would have a schedule full of heists. The Aquarius supposed things could have been much worse.

The door opening forced Eridan away from his thoughts. Sollux and Feferi stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

“What are you two doin’ here?” Eridan asked, confused. Had they gotten in trouble as well?

“We wanted to make sure you were okay,” Feferi responded, crossing her arms over her chest. “You really scared us back there, Eri-fin.”

He looked away, feeling slightly ashamed of himself. He hadn’t meant to scare his friends. “I’m sorry. I let my anger get the best of me. I was already pissed off and seein’ Vris treatin’ Tav like that set me off, I guess.” He shrugged half-heartedly.

“Honestly, I’m just sorry we didn’t have your back, ED,” Sollux muttered, looking away. Eridan couldn’t tell completely, but it looked as if his face were red. Feferi pursed her lips, rolling her brown eyes.

“Oh God, Sol-fish, do what you want in a second.”

Eridan’s head tilted slightly to the side, confused by what the female meant. However, he didn’t get a chance to speak, as she beat him to it.

“So what’s your punishment?”

“I’m suspended for a week. I guess it isn’t that bad, but my dad isn’t too pleased with me,” he responded.

A concerned look crossed Feferi’s face. “He isn’t going to beat you again, is he?”

Eridan let out a dry laugh. “Who fuckin’ knows. If anythin’ he’ll just send me on a bunch of heists.”

Feferi opened her mouth, but a stern look from Sollux made her roll her eyes once more. She tsked and waved goodbye to Eridan, leaving without another word. Eridan found himself even more confused, looking to Sollux for an answer. However, he didn’t find one. Instead, the lanky male moved forward quickly, closing the space between the two and pressing his lips against Eridan’s. The Aquarius sat back quickly, surprised. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, because he did. It was simply the situation. What had prompted it?

“Sol-”

“Don’t. You can make your choice later. I know I caught you off-guard and I’m sorry, but I couldn’t wait anymore,” Sollux whispered. He then let out a breathy sigh. “I’ll see you in a week, ED.” And wordlessly, just like Feferi, he exited the room, letting the door close behind him.

Eridan brought his fingers up to his mouth, touching the spot where Sollux kissed. His lips tingled, but in a good way- a very good way. He’d pictured just how his first kiss would go, but had to admit that his imagination never cooked up something like that. Eridan had thought himself arriving from a battle, going to his love and kissing them. He had witnessed his father do the same thing to his mother after a rough heist before her death. He wanted love like his father had had, but knew it wasn’t safe. The smile that was beginning to form on his face froze as he thought about it. He couldn’t put Sollux in danger like that. What on Earth was he thinking?

The teenager shook his head, trying to clear it of all thoughts of romance. The kiss had been a nice experience, but it would never go any further, especially not after the threat he had received from Aranea. If the Serkets knew something romantic was blooming, Sollux could end up just like his mother.

The thought of Sollux ending up like Margo plagued Eridan until the principle came in, informing him that his father had arrived. He tried to clear his head as he stood, moving quickly out of the building and into his father’s car. Darian pulled out of the school lot wordlessly. The drive home was tense and quiet, but Eridan knew once they stepped foot inside, things would blow up. Darian was able to keep calm in public, but once he was behind the doors of his home, he would yell and toss out insults.

Eridan braced himself when Darian pulled into the driveway, cutting the engine and getting out without a word. The teenager released a sigh before getting out as well and following his father to the door. The two then went inside, Eridan closing the door behind him. Darian stood with his back to his son for a few moments before slowly turning around.

“What… happened?” he asked, voice slow and soft, surprising Eridan.

“Vriska was abusin’ her boyfriend and I stepped in. She threw the first punch, I was just defendin’ myself,” Eridan responded, keeping his eyes fixed on his father’s.

Darian nodded. “And what have I told you about fighting in public? Your cunt of a principle said she might have to go to the hospital. Do you know how that reflects on us, Eridan?”

“You’ve told me not to, but I was just tryin’ to stop her from houndin’ on her boyfriend! Look, I’m sorry the Ampora name isn’t goin’ to be too popular with the school, but I did what I needed to. I was just tryin’ to defend myself, Dad,” Eridan responded, his voice low as he grew angry. He hated that his father never listened. If his mother were there she would actually take everything he was saying in consideration. Sure, he would still get into trouble, but he would be listened to. She would actually treat him like a son instead of a pawn in her gang.

“I don’t want to hear anymore. You are to train all the new members, Eridan. I will pick up your homework from the school and you’re to do that in your free time. Am I clear?” Darian asked.

“Yes, sir.” Eridan then went up to his room, slamming the door behind him as he sat on his bed with a huff. He wanted to break something, but knew it wouldn’t get him anywhere in that moment. Instead, he pulled out his cellphone, noticing a message from Terezi.

'Aranea is pissed. It’s good you got suspended, because being here would only result in disaster. Watch your back Eridan, and stay safe.'

The teenager sighed, running a hand over his face. He then sent her a text in return. 'Did she approach any of you?'

It didn’t take long for the female to respond. 'Apparently she asked Feferi about you when she was leaving one of her classes.'

Anger filled Eridan. He hated the fact that his friends were getting involved. The fact that they were made him want to go back to the school and deal with the Serkets there, once and for all. But his father wouldn’t be too appreciative of it, plus it would be difficult to cover up a double murder, no matter how much money would be involved. No, he couldn’t do it. He had to wait it out, but it was hard to simply push away the murderous thoughts.  They had been plaguing him more than usual.

He decided not to text back and instead went to take a shower, aiming to wash away all of his anger before his father brought the trainees. He hated training the new guys, but it was much better then a beating or going out on heists, so he wouldn’t complain too much.

^^^

“Eridan, the trainees are here!” Darian called up to Eridan’s room. The man had since calmed down from the incident at the school. He knew Eridan needed to do what he had to, but it didn’t excuse the fact that he had directly disobeyed him once again. Darian’s rules were few, but clear and very important. He absolutely hated it when his sons refused to listen to them, though Cronus was much better about things then Eridan.

The youngest Ampora came downstairs wearing a pair of jeans and an Under Armor shirt, his usual training attire. His glasses sat on his face; though he didn’t like to wear them during training, he also hated the feeling of contacts in his eyes. The teenager’s jaw was set as he stood in front of the small group of four. The men looked nervous but awake and ready to train, something that made Eridan’s job easier. He hated training those that didn’t want to be there.

Eridan took on an air of power as he placed his arms behind his back. “Today we’re goin’ to be goin’ over basic trainin’ techniques. I’m assumin’ all of you know how to do basic stretches?”

The group nodded quickly, not wanting to waste Eridan’s time. Sure, he was a teenager, but it was obvious he meant business. The last thing the newbies wanted to do was piss him off, so they responded in record time.

“Good. The trainin’ room is to your left. Go ahead in and start stretchin’. I’ll be in in a moment,” the teenager said, dismissing the men as he walked to his father’s study. He knocked lightly on the door. “Dad?”

“What?” A gruff voice called from within.

Eridan opened the door. “I was wonderin’ how far along you wanted me to get with these guys.”

“I want them to at least get to combat with one another. Make sure they take at least two breaks before they get to that point, though,” Darian responded. “After that, send them home and let me know. I have a heist for you and your brother to go on tonight. After that, you’re to work on your homework. Jerome is making dinner tonight and you’re to attend, but after that, go back to whatever it was you were doing. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Eridan muttered, closing the door and pulling out his cell phone. He opened up Facebook with a small sigh, letting his friends know that they shouldn’t contact him at all during the night. It was something the group had agreed on once they found out everything about the gang.  Going into heists without letting them know was much too risky, as if he forgot to turn the sound off, it could prove to be disastrous. 

'I’m going to be busy tonight. Do not call or text.' Without waiting for an answer from anyone, he put his phone back in his pocket. Eridan then moved into the training room, preparing to teach the new members what to do and how to do it.

The training went by faster than Eridan thought it would, especially due to the fact that Cronus came home half an hour into it and decided to help Eridan out. The elder Ampora felt bad for not being in the cafeteria to help his younger brother and wanted to make it up to him in any way he could. At first, Eridan was angry with him, but once he saw just how genuine Cronus was, he couldn’t help but forgive him.  He wished forgiveness would've come that easily with Terezi.

The two were leaving the room after cleaning things up, when Cronus decided to speak.  The new members had gone home, exhausted from a long evening of training.

“I’m sorry again, Eri. Trust me, I would’ve been there, but Mrs. Alc decided to keep me after. I told her I had the hang of all the bullshit work she makes us do, but-” Cronus began, though was cut off by a loud, dramatic sigh from Eridan.

“Shut up, Cro. Like I said, I understand. It’s fine. I’m not mad,” he muttered, closing the door behind him. The teenagers were met by a strong aroma of beef when they turned around. Eridan’s mouth instantly began watering. “God, I can’t wait to eat. Jerome’s food is always the best.”

“His cooking reminds me of mom’s,” Cronus said, his own mouth watering from the smell.

They moved to the kitchen where they were met with Jerome taking a roast out of the oven. There was sweat glistening on the man’s forehead as he did so. Mashed potatoes and an assortment of other veggies were simmering on the stove, just waiting to be devoured.

“God, that smells so good, Jerome,” Eridan practically moaned as his stomach growled.

The man chuckled softly. “I’m glad you think so. It’s ready. Go shower and I’ll fix up plates for you boys.”

Cronus and Eridan practically raced to get upstairs and into the bathroom. Luckily, Eridan beat his brother to it, laughing in his face before slamming the bathroom door and hopping into the shower. He washed away all the sweat and grime from training, eager to eat. The incident with the Serkets had been forgotten, masked by the hunger Eridan felt. He only hoped his father wouldn’t still be hard ass about everything. One way to get the Amporas to forget about their problems was a well cooked meal.  Margo and Jerome had always taken advantage of that in the past whenever there was an argument or some sort of disagreement.

Once Eridan finished in the shower, he changed and went downstairs, not worrying about his hair or anything of the sort. Plates were set up at the table where Jerome and Darian sat. The latter had a pile of papers in front of him, with his uneaten plate of food sat to the side. Eridan was surprised to find him with the papers, as Jerome usually talked him out of bringing his work to the dinner table. He hoped all was well, though didn’t find himself curious enough to ask.

He seated himself at the table, mouth once again watering at the food in front of him. The chunk of roast on his plate looked like it would fall apart if it were poked- it looked so tender. The potatoes had butter and cheese mixed in, and the vegetables looked fresh. Eridan wanted to devour it right then and there, but recalled the rule of waiting until everyone was at the table. That had been a rule ever since he was a child and he knew it was one thing that would never be tossed out, especially while Jerome was around, as he was the one who instilled it. The doctor was under the impression that dinner was family time and should be enjoyed together.

While they waited for Cronus, Jerome decided to make small talk, turning to Eridan as he took a sip of wine.

“So, your father told me that you were suspended.”

Eridan could’ve smashed his face on the table at the mere mention of what happened, especially when he noticed how his father tensed. It was clear he had forgotten about the incident as well. Still, he knew it would be rude to blow Jerome off, so he cleared his throat. “Yeah, there was a fight between Vriska and I.”

“Why?” Jerome asked.

“Well, she was-” Eridan was cut off by a shrill ringing coming from Darian’s area.

“Darian, you know the rule on cell phone’s in the dining room. Take it out,” Jerome scolded.

The gang leader glared at the other, but gave in, picking up his phone and taking it out of the room. Eridan could hear the man’s greeting on the phone before the door to the dining room closed, cutting off whatever he said next. He turned his attention back to the other.

“Anyway, she was abusin’ her boyfriend and I told her to cut it out, so she hit me. That’s the gist of it,” Eridan responded, keeping his eyes down. He didn’t want to tell Darian how he was practically asking to be hit, but that was something that could be left out. Vriska had still given in and hit first, it wasn’t like he had done it.

“It’s good you stood up for the boy, but you know how bad the Serkets are, Eridan. Sometimes you just have to turn the other cheek,” Jerome stated, taking another sip from his wineglass.

“Yeah, yeah. Trust me, Dad thinks that too, even though he didn’t say anythin’ about it. He basically delivered my punishment and told me to get out of his face. Typical of him,” the teenager grumbled.

“You know your father, though. Give him some time to calm down from it. I believe he’s just shocked that you got suspended. That just isn’t like you, Eridan.”

Cronus then stepped into the dining room, his hair wet and relieved of gel. “Good, you guys didn’t start without me!” He took a seat quickly, inhaling the delicious aroma that invaded the senses in the best way possible.

“Of course not! What do you think we are? Animals?” Jerome exclaimed. “We just need to wait on your father to get back and then we can start in. How’s school going for you, Cronus?” The elder man treated Eridan and Cronus better than their own father. He always asked how school was or what went on in their lives. There was never a dull moment around him, as he loved to keep the conversation going strong.

“It’s going okay, I guess. Unfortunately my grade in Government dropped. I don’t know how, because I’m excelling in that class,” Cronus responded.

“You can always come to me, Cro. Let’s face it, I’m so much better than you at that kind of thing,” Eridan said, a smirk gracing his features.

Cronus’ eyebrows furrowed as he prepared to retort with something, however Darian came back into the room, looking angry. “Dinner is going to have to be postponed.”

“Why?” Jerome asked, surprise lacing his voice.

The man looked at Eridan and Cronus, his glare growing solemn. “That was Melissa Serket. She wants to end things- tonight.”


	13. Kidnapped

“What do you mean she wants to end things tonight?” Eridan asked Darian, his voice incredulous. He didn’t trust this one bit, especially knowing that there was determination in his father’s eyes. He wouldn’t back out no matter what. Darian finally had a chance to avenge his dead wife, and he was going to take it. Of course he wouldn’t listen to his suspicious sixteen-year-old son. That would be absolutely outlandish!

“Melissa called me. I have no idea how she got a hold of my number,” Darian paused, seeming shaken up. His hands shook violently as he took a seat slowly. “She called and said she wanted to meet and end everything tonight. An all-out war between the two gangs. The strongest is to emerge victorious.”

“Are you actually goin’ to meet her? I really don’t feel good about this, Dad,” Eridan said, balling his hands into fists. His chest began to hurt. He just didn’t trust it- of course, he wouldn’t trust a single word out of a Serket’s mouth no matter what.

“Are you kidding? Of course I’m going! Do you not understand what this is, Eridan? It’s a chance. We can finally get rid of the Serkets. We can finally avenge your mother’s death. Does that mean nothing to you?” Darian growled, slamming his fist on the table and causing everyone in the room to jump.

Jerome spoke up before Eridan could. “Now Darian, I don’t believe that’s what Eridan meant by that at all. I believe he meant that you aren’t really thinking this through. Of course you’ll be able to avenge Margo’s death somehow, but isn’t all of this a little sudden?”

“You aren’t thinking things through, Dad,” Cronus piped up, getting over being stunned stupid by what Darian had said. He usually kept quiet when his father wanted to do something, which gave Eridan the impression that Cronus had the same bad feeling rising in his chest.

“I honestly can’t believe any of you,” Darian muttered, his shoulders squaring off as he stood up once more. It was blatantly obvious that the man was pissed off beyond belief. All he wanted was for his sons to listen to him and follow through with everything. “Eridan, Cronus. You two don’t have to go. Stay here for all I care.”

“Fuck, Dad, are you kiddin’? You really think we’d stay here while you went out and did this by yourself?” Eridan growled, standing as well.

“That’s what it seemed like you were implying. Are you two in this or not?” Darian hissed, staring daggers at Cronus and Eridan.

Cronus looked at his brother, an expression of uncertainty on his face. Then, he sighed, closing his crystalline blue eyes for a brief moment. “I’m in.”  

“So am I."  The moment he agreed, a sharp sensation ran through his chest, almost causing him to double over.  It all seemed way too soon; there had been no preparation; and it was so soon after Eridan had beat the hell out of Vriska.  Had they finally realized the fact that the Amporas meant business? 

“Good.” Darian carded a hand through his hair. “I’m going to get some of the gang here. We’ll need all the help we can get to take them down.” Without another word, he left the room, leaving Eridan, Cronus, and Jerome alone.

Jerome looked at the teenagers with a worried expression. “You two don’t have to leave, you know that, right?”

“Yes, but we also refuse to let Dad go alone. I’m going to get ready,” Cronus said, getting up and leaving without another word, just as Darian had.

“Eridan-”

“I’m with Cro on this one. I’m sorry, Jerome.” Eridan then left just like his brother and father. He went straight to his room, taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart down. There was no way he would be able to talk his father out of going, so he would join him. He would go right into the middle of it all.  It was proven that if even Jerome wasn't able to talk him out of it, no one could.

With another deep breath, Eridan began getting ready, changing into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. He couldn’t afford to dress fashionably, he could save that for school. He grabbed his gun, making sure everything was in working order before sticking it in the back of his pants. He then left his room, moving quickly downstairs where a group of men stood. All of them looked solemn, just like his father had. The teenager easily spotted Michael in the crowd. He stepped over to him wordlessly as the rest of the gang talked quietly among themselves.

“I’m assumin’ you know what’s goin’ on,” Eridan stated, not bothering with a greeting.

“Yeah, your father filled us in,” Michael responded. “How do you feel about it?”

“Not good, honestly. I think Dad is rushin’ into this without thinkin’ things through. But that’s typical. He refuses to listen; which is also typical.” Eridan didn’t necessarily want to bad mouth his father, but he was speaking the truth, and Michael knew it.

“I don’t feel great about this either, Eridan. I feel like something bad is going to happen. Does Cronus feel the same way?” the Native asked, worry easily detected in his voice.

“Yup. He even tried speakin’ out against Dad, which is somethin’ he never does.”

“That’s how we know this is serious, then. Don’t get me wrong, I understand he wants to avenge his wife, but this really seems like a trap. I don’t like what the Serkets are playing at. Why would they let themselves be caught so easily? Why would they just give up? They’re the type of family that plays with their food before devouring it,” Michael said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Trust me, I’ve asked myself all those questions. Nothin’ is addin’ up.” The two then went silent, lost in their respective thoughts and wishing Darian would simply cancel the entire thing. The teenager’s chest was beginning to throb more so, despite him taking deep breaths.

Cronus joined the two a few moments later, dressed in a white t-shirt and blue jeans. His brow was furrowed as he, too, was lost in thought.

“Has Dad come out yet?” he asked, breaking the small silence that had formed.

“Nope. Who knows what the fuck he’s doin’ in there.”

“I wish there was a way to talk him out of all this,” Cronus muttered.

“Me too, Cro, me too.”

It was then that Darian exited his study. He was dressed in a similar fashion as Eridan, though he had a strained look on his face. At first, it gave Eridan hope that he was backing out of everything, realizing just how silly it was. However, when the man began speaking, Eridan knew it was no use. He wouldn’t see reason no matter what.

“I’ve already filled all of you in on why I called you here. We are meeting the Serkets at the abandoned warehouse on Walnut Street. Melissa and I will engage in a few words, and then Hell will break loose. Eridan and Cronus will have my flank, all of you will hang back. When the first gunshot rings out, that’s when all of you come in. Am I clear?” Darian asked, his voice hard.

Everyone nodded, signaling the fact that they heard and understood. The room was tense. It wasn’t something simple everyone was going into; it was so much more than that. They were going into a war.

“Good. We’re taking three vehicles and parking a few buildings away from the warehouse. You are to follow me there.” Darian then walked away, throwing a set of keys to Cronus and another set to Michael.

The groups then dispersed and filed out of the house wordlessly. No one spoke or even looked at one another. They kept their eyes downward, fearing what was to come. No one knew who would live and who would die. A few of the men pulled out their cell phones, sending text messages to family and friends, just in case. Eridan hated the fact that everyone was putting themselves in danger. He knew Margo wouldn’t have wanted it. The teenager wondered how disappointed she would be in Darian for putting everyone in such danger; especially her sons.

They arrived a few streets away from the warehouse, shutting off their headlights and parking. There was no use in hiding themselves, however, as Melissa and Darian had agreed on a time prior. Still, it was a precaution they all followed. Everyone got out of their vehicles quietly, meeting as a group in front of Darian. Cronus and Eridan stood in front of the others, standing at clear attention. They didn’t want to miss any orders their father would give.

“Are all of you ready?” Darian asked, his voice- usually loud- dropping quite a bit in volume.

Everyone nodded, still silent in their actions, though they weren’t looking at the ground any longer. They were facing everything head-on. All of them were brave; Eridan felt proud to work among them.

“Good. Let’s go.” Darian then turned on his heel and walked away. Eridan gave his father a closer look, noticing the man was shaking slightly. The teenager wondered if his father was also having second thoughts about the plan, or if he was just looking forward to taking down the Serkets. He wasn’t sure, but wasn’t about to ask either. Darian took things like shaking as weakness, and the last thing he’d want was Eridan pointing it out in front of the others.

The pressure in the male’s chest increased the closer they got to the warehouse until he was nearly hyperventilating. Cronus nudged the younger a few times, though never received a response. The eerie quiet that had formed over the group grew twofold when they reached the enormous building. Wordlessly, everyone drew their weapons, holding them at the ready. Darian looked at his sons with hard eyes before moving forward- the teenagers following him closely.

He opened the door of the warehouse, a loud creaking from the object filling the night and completely giving away their cover. Darian swore under his breath and stepped inside, knowing it was no use sneaking around. Eridan and Cronus followed, their weapons at the ready in case there happened to be an ambush waiting for them. However, they were met with silence until they were fully inside the building, the door closing behind them.

“Ah, Darian, I’m _so_ glad you made it,” a loud, drawing voice called out.

The man’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the blonde woman standing at attention, her murky gray-blue eyes full of malice as she stared.

“Yes well, how could I pass up such a perfect opportunity, Melissa?” Darian asked, cocking his weapon.

“Oh, there’s no need for that right now. I just want to talk. I see you brought your sons; I brought my girls. Aranea, Vriska, come out,” she called behind her.

The females emerged from the shadows. Aranea looked bored whereas Vriska’s face was swollen and bruised from the beating she had received from Eridan. He couldn’t help but smirk at her, pleased at his work. He hoped she was suffering, though found himself surprised that she actually showed up; however, it seemed like Melissa needed all the help she could get.

“How nice for you,” Darian muttered, sarcasm dripping from his words.

“I see you don’t want to talk. What a shame; I was just about to bring up Margo,” Melissa sneered.

Darian’s eyes widened for a brief moment before hardening. “This ends now, cunt.”

“You’re damn right it does. Now, boys!” she exclaimed, causing a large group of about twenty-five men to come pouring out of the shadows, beginning to fire their weapons.

Eridan quickly ducked for cover as Cronus and Darian were surrounded. He looked back quickly, noticing members of their gang beginning to file in, firing their own rounds at the enemy. Eridan turned his gaze to the front once more, locking his gaze on Vriska who stood at attention, a sick smile on her face. The teenager watched her take aim and fire, taking out a few of the gang members easily. He growled under his breath when one of her bullets grazed Michael’s arm, causing him to cry out.

Eridan stood, moving to another set of discarded crates as he fired at the rival gang, taking out a few men. He needed to get as close to Vriska as possible. She had been a pain in his ass ever since he arrived. She was the reason he couldn’t have friends or even a boyfriend. She was the reason his mother was taken away from him. So it was time to take away her life. Eridan took a deep breath before moving to another set of crates, taking out another five men.

He realized he was as close as he would get, so he took aim, lining his gun up with Vriska’s wounded face. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled from his mouth slowly before firing, hitting Vriska in the side of the head. Blood and gray chunks flew out of the other side of her head as she fell in what seemed like slow motion. Eridan could’ve easily given out a whoop when she hit the ground, but he contained himself, his eyes then on Aranea, who had noticed her dead sister.

“Vriska, no!” she cried, shooting another few men before picking up her little sister’s corpse.

“Who killed her?” Melissa screeched, also having taken notice of her deceased daughter.

No one answered as the fighting continued. Darian and Cronus were too busy fighting off small groups of men as they tried to down them. Eridan knew he had the perfect shot at Aranea as well, so he took aim, preparing to fire when his cell phone suddenly began going off. He fumbled with his gun as the shrill ringing gave away his location. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly pulled the device out of his pocket, answering it.

“What in the fuck do you want?” he growled lowly.

“Dude, chill. I was just calling about a homework question, I-” the voice of Karkat began, though was cut off as Eridan’s phone was snatched from his hand.

The black-haired male looked up slowly, realizing Melissa was the one that had taken his phone.

_Shit_.

The woman aimed her gun at Eridan and, before he could react, shot him in the leg. A scream escaped his lips as he fell back, clutching his wounded limb.

“Sorry, Eridan’s a little busy right now. Call back at a later time, mkay?” Melissa said, a smirk on her face. She then hung up on Karkat, placing the phone in her pocket and picking up Eridan, who grunted in pain. “Aranea, let’s get out of here. Now!”

The woman’s daughter looked up, tears streaming down her face. However, when she noticed Melissa holding Eridan, a look of satisfaction crossed her features. She gave her little sister’s hand one last squeeze before standing and following her mother out a side door.

Darian, having broken through a small group, looked up in time to see his youngest son being carried away by Melissa. He crushed a man’s nose with the butt of his gun before running forward. “Eridan! Fuck, no. Eridan!” The man ran forward, taking out multitudes of the rival gang as he did so. He ran out the door in pursuit of Melissa, Aranea, and Eridan; however when the cool air of the night hit his face, he found they were already gone.

Anger fueling him, the man ran back inside, taking out even more men as he helped Cronus, then tugged on his arm.

“What’s going on, Dad?” he asked, surprised.

“We need to leave. They took Eridan,” Darian responded, absolutely panicked at the situation.

Cronus’ eyes widened as he nodded and followed his father out of the building, quickly running back to their vehicle and climbing in before zooming off. It was at that moment that Darian knew he shouldn’t have went through with it. He should have listened to his sons and Jerome. The only thought that crossed his mind was the fact that it was entirely possible that Eridan would end up just like Margo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a fascinating turn of events!


	14. Distress

Karkat lowered the cell phone from his ear, heart pounding. He’d heard Eridan get shot, and then what? Who was that on the phone? The teenager felt tears gather in his eyes as he dialed Terezi’s number with shaking hands. Had he gotten Eridan killed?

“Hello?” Terezi answered in a sing-song voice. It was obvious she was in a good mood; unfortunately though, Karkat was about to ruin it.

“T-Terezi? Something happened and I really need to talk to your mom,” Karkat said, not bothering with greetings. Obviously something had happened to Eridan, whether he was truly in danger or not.

The female’s voice automatically turned serious. “What is it, Karkat? I’m getting my mom now.”

“I… called Eridan-” Karkat began, but was cut off by the other.

“You _what_? Karkat did your internet go out again?” she asked.

“Yeah, wh- oh God. He sent a group message, didn’t he?” the male said, his heart sinking. Tears began tracking down his cheeks at the possibility of Eridan having been killed because of him.

“Yes. Shit. Okay, tell me what happened. I need to find my mom,” Terezi said quickly, getting up and searching for her mom. The female’s heart began pounding as well. Eridan had become such a huge part of their group. The last thing they wanted was for something to have happened to him.

“I called him because I had a homework question. He answered and I heard gunshots in the background. I- I don’t know why I didn’t hang up, I guess I was just caught by surprise. Anyway, I heard a gunshot that sounded really close to the phone and then Eridan screamed- and- and oh God, Terezi, what if he’s dead? What if I killed him? Fuck. I don’t know what to do.” A sob escaped the teenager as he put a hand over his mouth, trying to hold back his cries.

“Shh, Karkat, it’s okay. You didn’t know. Did anything else happen?” Terezi asked, trying her best to sooth her best friend.

“Um, a woman got on the phone. I don’t know who she was,” Karkat responded once he found a pause in his sobbing.

“What did she say?”

“She said Eridan was busy and to call back later, then the line went dead.”

“Fuck. Okay, listen to me. I found my mom and I’m going to tell her everything you told me. Go to Sollux’s, okay?” Terezi said, making sure her voice was clear. She had to be strong for him, even though she was falling apart as well.

“Y-yeah.”

“I’m going to hang up now, okay?”

“Yeah.” There was an audible click before the line went dead. Karkat put his phone in his pocket, wiping his tears away and taking a few deep breaths. He decided he wasn’t even going to try to talk to his father about anything. He would go straight to Sollux’s. Their parents wouldn’t understand anything going on, nor could they tell them.

Karkat pulled a sweatshirt on, grabbing the charger for his phone just in case there was another call from Terezi or even Eridan. God, he prayed that it was all just a joke. The scream that kept replaying in his head proved otherwise. It was a genuine scream of pain, unlike any he’d ever heard. Karkat tried to push everything regarding Eridan from his mind as he exited his bedroom, walking down the hall and past Kankri. It seemed as if his father weren’t home. Unfortunately, Kankri Vantas’s talent was prying when he wasn’t wanted.

“Karkat? Are you okay?” the older male asked, brows furrowing.

“Yes, Kankri, everything’s fucking peachy. I’m going to Sollux’s, let dad know for me,” Karkat responded, refusing to look at his brother. There were still tears built up in his brown eyes, and he didn’t want the other to see.

“Oh, okay. Be safe, and please don’t use that language, Karkat. It’s offensive,” Kankri responded before continuing whatever it was he was doing.

Karkat rolled his eyes, leaving the apartment and moving quickly to Sollux, who lived a few buildings away from him. Once there, his fist crashed into the door, not wanting to be out any longer. He wanted Sollux to hold onto him and just- reassure him. Fuck, he needed it.

It didn’t take long for one Simon Captor to open the door. The father of Mituna and Sollux looked surprised to see the young Vantas standing at his doorstep, tears still tracking down his face. The blond male’s face turned to one of concern however.

“Karkat, are you okay?” he asked, stepping aside to let the other in.

He shook his head quickly, moving inside the house. “Is Sollux here?”

“Yeah, he’s in his bedroom,” Simon responded, the same lisp Sollux had tinging his own voice.

“Thanks.” Without another word, the black-haired male practically ran to his best friend’s room. He didn’t bother knocking, instead walking right in. “Sollux.”

The blond teenager nearly jumped out of his chair, his head whipping around to look at Karkat. “What the fuck, KK? Have you ever heard of knocking, because it’s a- woah, what’s up?” It didn’t take him long to notice just how distraught his friend was. Sollux stood up quickly, moving toward the other and leading him to his bed. “What’s going on?”

Karkat sniffled loudly, wiping at his nose and cheeks before responding. “I called Eridan. I didn’t know he sent the mass message because, of course, my fucking internet went out. So, I called him, and he answered, but there was a lot of shooting in the background and he sounded so pissed off. Then there was another gunshot, and he screamed. I think a woman took his phone from him, because then I heard her saying Eridan was busy and that he would call back later. I think something happened to him and it’s all my fault, Sollux.” The male then fell apart, loud sobs wracking his body as he leaned against the other.

Sollux’s eyes were wide as he took in everything Karkat said. His first thought was to be pissed, but he knew it wouldn’t solve anything. Instead, he placed an arm around Karkat, pulling him closer and letting him cry. He usually wasn’t too good at comforting people, but he found the closeness nice. He didn’t know what else to do except sit in the darkness of his bedroom, listening to Karkat sob and trying to sort through his own emotions.

Back in the living room, Simon stared after Karkat, wondering what it was that had gotten into him. He hadn’t seen the teenager so emotional for as long as he’d known him. The man pulled his cell phone out, dialing Karcer’s number.

“Yes, Simon?” he asked, voice entirely different from Karkat’s.  It was softer and much more soothing than his son's.

“Hey, I was wondering if you knew what was up with Karkat. He just came over to my place absolutely distraught. I’m wondering if something happened with him,” Simon said, beginning to pace. He worried about Karkat like he was his own.

“Oh, no, sorry. I’m currently at the church. Perhaps call and ask Candace or Regina?” Karcer said, beginning to sound distant.

Simon rolled his eyes, but confirmed with Karcer that he would before hanging up. He then debated actually calling Regina and Candace. Would they really know what was going on? He figured it wouldn’t hurt to try and dialed Candace Peixes’s number first. The woman intimidated the hell out of him, so he wanted to get a phone call with her out of the way as soon as possible.

“Hello?” the woman answered, her voice smooth.

“Hey Candace, it’s Simon. Karkat just came over to my place pretty distraught. I was wondering if something happened; maybe something between him and Feferi?” Simon stated, trying to keep his voice calm as he spoke.

“Well, if something happened, I wouldn’t know anything about it. Feferi’s been in her room all night. I can talk to her and call you back. I’m assuming you’ve talked to Karcer about him,” the woman responded, curiosity in her voice. She adored drama in her life, especially when it was applicable to her children. As if she didn’t get enough drama in her own life.

“That’d be great, thanks. And yeah, I spoke with him; he’s at the church, as usual though, and didn’t know anything.”

“Okay, I’ll speak with Feferi and then call you back. Bye, Simon,” Candace said before hanging up.

A shiver moved through Simon’s body. God, talking to her freaked him out every single time. He wasn’t sure why he remained friends with her other than the fact that Sollux and Feferi were best friends. How could a mother and daughter differ so greatly anyhow? It didn’t make sense to him.

Puffing out a breath, Simon then dialed Regina Pyrope’s number, though got her voicemail. He pursed his lips before sitting on the couch, waiting for _someone_ to get back with him. The man knew if he asked Sollux and Karkat about what was going on, he’d simply receive cryptic answers or nothing at all. He didn’t really want to go behind the kid’s back, but there was no other alternative.

^^^

Candace Peixes moved slowly up the stairs of her home, headed toward Feferi’s room. She wasn’t sure why she was actually following through with speaking to her daughter. Of course she wanted to know what was going on with Karkat, but her daughter came to her about everything, so surely she didn’t know anything about it. Still, she wanted to ease Simon’s pathetically worried mind.

She knocked on Feferi’s door. “Feferi, I need to talk to you.”

“Come in!” Feferi called, her voice high and enthusiastic. She definitely didn’t know what was going on.

Candace opened the door, standing at the entrance and resting a hand on her hip. “I just got a call from Simon.”

Feferi looked up from her laptop, her brow furrowing slightly. “Oh?” She knew something was up due to the fact that Simon, of all people, had called her. Everyone knew that Sollux’s father would never call Candace unless absolutely necessary.

“He was calling about Karkat. Apparently he arrived earlier completely distraught and crying,” Candace responded. “Do you happen to know what’s wrong with him? Simon’s worried and Karcer doesn’t know anything, as usual.”

Feferi looked confused, however after a brief moment, her expression turned to one of horror. Her brown eyes quickly went back to her computer screen, checking over the Facebook message Eridan had sent. She had seen it… Terezi… Sollux… Karkat? Oh, God. Her mouth hung agape as the realization hit her, only to be confirmed when she received a text from Terezi.

‘ _I don’t know if you’ve been filled in yet, but something happened to Eridan.  It'd probably be best if you got a hold of Karkat; he's pretty distraught right now._ ’

She slapped a hand over her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes. What could have possibly happened? He had been fine beforehand. Of course, he never let anyone know what was actually going on; he simply sent the message and went about his life. She felt completely and utterly useless, which was something she hated- she wanted to be there for Eridan and the others, and yet there she was, sitting at home and browsing the internet.

“Feferi, what is it?” Candace asked, growing concerned.  It was clear to her that she had been wrong in her assumptions; Feferi clearly did know something was going on.

Feferi looked up, lowering her hand and biting her bottom lip. Her mother was the CEO of Betty Crocker; if something had happened, she had the money to make sure it could be both covered up and aided. It was at that moment that she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep Eridan’s secret any longer. She had to tell someone. Plus, her own mother would be understanding, right?

“Mom… I have something I need to tell you.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this chapter seems pretty filler-ish. I promise there's a point to it, but ayyyy, meet the parents!


	15. Secrets Revealed

Candace Peixes couldn’t believe her ears. Her daughter’s new friend was the son of a gang leader? No, she wouldn’t have it. She wouldn’t let some lowlife ruin her daughter’s life.

“Thank you for telling me, Feferi,” the woman said, her jaw set as she spoke. She tried her hardest to not let her anger show, though it was quite hard to do. Candace was so used to telling people how it was and letting her anger fly forth, however she couldn’t do that to Feferi, especially not when she was so fragile. Her worry for her friend was clear as day. “I need to call Simon. Get ready, please. We’re going to go somewhere.” Once she saw Feferi nod, the woman left the room, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

She dialed Simon’s number, tapping her foot impatiently against the hardwood floors as she waited for the man to answer, though it didn’t take too long.

“Did you find anything out?” the man answered, lisp clear as day.

“Yes. You might want to get Karcer there, and Regina if you can get a hold of her. Feferi just told me something… interesting, and all of you should hear it,” Candace responded, keeping her voice low so Feferi didn’t hear her speaking. She knew her daughter wouldn’t want a big deal to be made out of everything, but the woman would not stand to have a gang member as a part of her child’s friend group, nor did the other parents.

“I can definitely get Karcer over here, but I’m having trouble reaching Regina. I think she might be working,” Simon responded, sounding concerned.

“Well, have Sollux call Terezi, then. I just want everyone there. This is an emergency, Simon.”

“Okay, okay. Come on over, I’ll get everyone here.” The man then hung up, automatically calling Karcer with shaking hands. He didn’t know what had happened, but very rarely did Candace ever want to come over to his place, so obviously it was something big.

“Yes, Simon, what can I do for you?” Karcer answered, his voice sounding annoyed at having been called twice in the span of half an hour.

“I’m sorry I’m interrupting your work, but you need to come over now. Candace and Regina are going to be here, too. Something happened, Karcer,” Simon said, speaking quickly. He understood how much the church meant to his best friend, but he hoped it wouldn’t outweigh the importance of his son.

The pastor sighed loudly. “Fine. This better be important though, Simon. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” There was then a prominent click on the other line, signaling the fact that he had hung up. The blond then turned to Sollux’s bedroom.

“Sollux, Karkat, get out here!” he called, automatically hearing the loud groan of his youngest son.

Sollux opened the door to his bedroom, poking his head out. “What is it, Dad? Something’s kind of going on here.”

“Yeah, I know. Now you’re going to grab Karkat and come out here. Candace and Feferi are on their way, as is Karcer. I need you to get a hold of Terezi,” Simon said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Dad-”

“Don’t. Listen to what I say or you’re grounded,” Simon growled, never really using his ‘stern’ voice.

“Oh my God, fine!” Sollux exclaimed, then turned to Karkat, who was still sniffling on the bed, though the tears had stopped. “KK, we need to go out there, okay?”

Karkat nodded, his brown eyes staring straight ahead as he did so. However, he still found it within himself to stand and walk out of the room, going straight to the couch and seating himself. He didn’t care that his eyes were red-rimmed and it was clear he had been crying. Something was happening with Eridan and it was his fault. Sollux followed closely, his phone pressed to his ear as he called Terezi.

“Yes, yes, what?” Terezi answered, out of breath.

“My Dad wants you to come over,” Sollux responded, running a hand through his short hair.

“Sollux, I know Karkat filled you in, and I’m sure with, knowing that, you can understand why I can’t do that,” Terezi huffed.

“You don’t understand; Candace and FF are coming over, too. I don’t know what happened, but it’s big. You and your mom need to come over now, okay?” Sollux said quickly as he reached the living room and sat closely to Karkat, wrapping a comforting arm around the male.

“Fine, Sollux. I’ll get my mom. She’s doing some paperwork and coming up with some sort of story; hopefully she’ll give in.”

“Just try, okay? I’ll see you when you get here.” Sollux then hung up the phone, looking at his father with an annoyed expression on his face. “So what’s this about, Dad?”

Simon rubbed the back of his neck, almost as if he weren’t sure how to answer. “I’m… not sure. Candace called me and wanted everyone here. She sounded super pissed off, so I’m sure something happened. Do you two want to save me the anxiety of waiting and tell me what’s going on?”

Karkat and Sollux looked at one another before shaking their heads.

“It just involves a friend, that’s it,” Karkat muttered, his voice low and thick due to crying. Much to his annoyance, there was still a lump in his throat.

“Okay, whatever. Let’s just play it difficult and wait until Candace gets here,” Simon growled, growing pissed off at the boys’ behavior. They’d never been so cryptic before.

As soon as he had gotten the sentence out, however, there was a knock at the door. The blond quickly moved to answer it, seeing Candace and Feferi standing on the other side. Feferi’s head was hanging low, her own eyes red-rimmed and makeup smeared as she stepped through the door, sitting on the love seat next to the couch. She didn’t acknowledge Sollux and Karkat’s presence, worrying the both of them immensely. Had she found something out? What in the fuck was going on?

“Where’s Karcer and Regina?” Candace asked, also stepping inside.

“Karcer will be here in ten, and Sollux said Regina’s going to get here when she can. I think she’s working. What’s going on, Candace?” Simon asked, concern once again lacing his voice and features.

“I refuse to say anything until everyone is here. This isn’t a matter that should be kept between people,” Candace muttered coldly, glaring at her daughter for a brief moment.

Simon looked between the two in confusion before shaking his head. “Okay, well, go ahead and sit. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Water would be fine, thank you,” Candace said, taking a seat on the armchair across from the children.

The male nodded, moving to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water for the woman. He then made his way back to the living room, handing her the bottle just as there was another knock on the door. He released a mental sigh of relief, not wanting it to just be he and Candace among the adults. Simon quickly went to the door, opening it to reveal Karcer, who looked more than a little annoyed.

“Can we make this quick? I really need to get back to the church; I still have so much to d- Karkat, what’s wrong?” Karcer asked, his eyes landing on his sniffling son.

Karkat’s eyebrows furrowed as, he too, looked at his father. “What are you doing here?”

“Simon called me. What’s going on?” Karcer asked, looking at Candace and Simon for answers.

“I will not speak on it until Regina and Terezi arrive,” Candace said, sticking up her nose as if she were a stubborn child.

The pastor sighed loudly, taking a seat next to the woman and crossing his arms over his chest. The room then went silent, save for the sniffling coming from both Feferi and Karkat. Sollux continuously tried meeting the female’s eyes, but she never looked up. The blond grew more and more worried that something more had happened.

The silence was broken by yet another knock on the door. Simon stood up swiftly to answer it, revealing a more than mildly annoyed Pyrope family.

“What do you want, Simon? I was in the middle of something; my phone was off for a reason,” Regina growled, staring down the blond man.

Candace stood, turning toward the door. “Regina, Terezi, come in, please,” she said, almost as if she owned the home she was standing in.

Regina glared at Candace, not liking the fact that she was in control; then again, when wasn’t the CEO of Betty Crocker not involved? The red-haired woman stepped into the cramped space, Terezi tailing her closely until she found a hole, quickly moving to her friends and planting herself beside Karkat. The male still hadn’t looked up at all, which worried Sollux to no end.

“So, Feferi told me something very interesting tonight,” Candace began, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at her daughter.

“Oh?” Karcer asked, moving forward slightly, his curiosity peaked.

“Apparently, our children’s new little friend, Eridan Ampora, is part of a gang,” Candace hissed the word ‘gang’ distastefully.

Sollux looked to Feferi, a look of astonishment on his face. “FF, you told?”

“I’m sorry,” Feferi choked out. “I thought she would help, not act this way.”

Simon and Karcer stood completely still, stunned stupid by the news that their children were friends with someone in a gang. However, it was Karcer that found his voice first.

“Karkat! How dare you be friends with someone that leads such a violent, sinful life? Why are you friends with this boy?” he asked, voice growing in volume.

Karkat looked up, his eyes filled with rage. “Because there’s more to him than being a fucking gang member, Dad. He’s kind and funny, and has helped us out with so much. The only reason I’m passing my classes is because of him!” The male paused, tears filling his eyes once more. “It’s not like it matters now, because I probably got him killed!”

“We’re working on it, Karkat. We’ll figure out what happened, okay?” Terezi said, placing her hand on top of Karkat’s.

“’We’re’?” Simon asked, his eyes landing on Regina.

The woman sighed loudly, throwing her arms up. “Yes, ‘we’re’. I knew, okay? Eridan and I had a run-in when I was on the job. He had the chance to kill me, but didn’t. From the way Terezi spoke, the next day at school, he was full of regret. Most gang members don’t regret a single thing they do.”

“That doesn’t matter! He’s still in a gang! He probably has sex, does drugs, and kills people. I do not want my son around him!” Karcer practically screeched.

Karkat stood up, knocking Sollux’s arm off him and slapping Terezi’s hand away. His voice was full of venom and rage when he spoke, all of it directed toward his father, “He’s not fucking like that, Dad! And it doesn’t matter what you say because, if he’s found alive, I’m going to hang out with him no matter what. I’m going to treat him like the goddamn human he is! You claim to be such a man of God, Dad, but you aren’t. You really fucking aren’t.”

The room went quiet as Karcer and Karkat stared daggers at one another. However, it was Candace that stepped in next.

“I fully agree with Karcer. I don’t want Feferi to hang out with someone like that.”

Feferi looked up quickly, tears pouring down her cheeks. “Mom, no, please don’t say that!”

“I will not take no for an answer, Feferi. You can find better people to hang out with,” Candace said, her mind obviously fully made up.

Simon was about to speak next, but Karkat’s phone ringing in his pocket made him stop. The room when quiet once more as Karkat pulled his phone out, looking at the caller ID in horror.

“It’s- it’s Eridan,” he whispered, trying to get his voice void of any emotion.

“Answer it, KK,” Sollux said quickly, he and Terezi standing up and moving around Karkat.

Karkat nodded and accepted the call, quickly turning it on speaker and holding it out.

“Eridan?” he asked, voice hoarse.

“Wrong!” a female voice cackled on the other end. “Well, you’re not completely wrong, because Eridan _is_ here with me. Would you like to say hi to him, Karkat?”

“Y-yes,” Karkat responded, his body visibly shaking. He prayed to whatever deity there was that Eridan was still alive and okay. Fuck, he just wanted everything to be a joke! Or even a dream.

“Oh, Eriiiiidaaaaaan, you have a caller,” she said, her voice growing further away as another voice took her place.

“K-Kar?” a weak voice asked, sounding so broken already.

A sob escaped Feferi’s lips as she slapped a hand over her mouth, Sollux had a look of pure horror on his face, and Terezi stood stock still, as if trying to gauge where Eridan was. Tears slipped down Karkat’s cheeks at the sound of Eridan’s voice.

“We’re going to get you, Eridan. You’re going to be okay,” Karkat whispered, his bottom lip trembling.

A sudden scream from the other line made everyone in the room jump.

“ED!” Sollux shouted, unable to stop himself. He gripped Karkat’s shoulder, needing something to hold onto.

“Now, don’t give him hope, Karkat. You need to realize that he won’t be getting out of here alive; not if his dope of a father can’t even find him,” Melissa said. It was clear as day that she was smiling on the other end, reveling in her genius.

“Kar- 7685,” a weak voice called.

“What?” Karkat asked, confusion lacing his voice.

“Call i-” there was a sudden click as the line went dead. Karkat stood as still as a pole, staring down at his phone in horror.

“She’s hurting him,” Sollux whispered, moving backward and sinking on the couch.

The adults in the room were once more stunned stupid at what had happened, however Regina didn’t stay that way for long. She sprung forward quickly, “7685, call it Karkat. Use the area code for Eridan’s number, but the four digits Eridan gave you. I have a feeling I know who it is that you’re going to be calling.”

Karkat nodded, dialing the number Eridan gave him and pressing the speaker button once more. The room fell silent once more as the phone rang, two times, three times, f- “What do you want?” the voice belonged to none other than Darian Ampora.

“Darian, it’s Karkat.”

“Karkat? How in the fuck did you get my number?” Darian growled, obviously not wanting a call from the male.

“Eridan gave it to me,” the black-haired male responded. “I got a call from a woman a few minutes ago, I think she’s torturing Eridan- but, but he gave me the last four digits of a number and it happened to be yours. He wanted me to call you.”

The line went silent for a brief moment, then, “Where are you?”

“Simon Captor’s. The address is 578 Maple Street, Apartment 5,” Karkat responded, barely getting the full address out of his mouth before Eridan’s father hung up.

Karkat then followed Sollux’s lead, moving back to the couch and collapsing with a loud sigh. He didn’t want to think about Eridan and how it was all his fault that his friend was in the situation he was. He heard sniffling beside him and, looking over, saw tears dripping down Sollux’s cheeks. Terezi’s face was void of emotion, though her hands were shaking violently. Karkat took his friend’s hands, squeezing them tightly as he bit his lip, trying not to cry again. He hated showing weakness like he was, especially in front of his father.

“So Eridan’s father is coming?” Candace asked, resting her hands on her hips.

“Yes, Candace. Wasn’t that obvious from the call?” Regina answered for the teenagers, knowing they needed time on their own, but also realizing the parents weren't about to let something like that happen.

“Good, I’m glad he’s coming, because I’m really looking forward to giving him a piece of my mind,” Candace growled.

“As am I. This man needs to know just how vile he is, and to think that he tried to get his youngest to contaminate our children? Ugh,” Karcer shook his head, a look of disgusting warping his features.

Simon, while extremely upset that his son hadn’t told him anything, couldn’t find it within him to be as angry. He knew Sollux would make his own decisions, plus the Ampora boy hadn’t put his son in any danger that he knew of. Sollux never arrived home from school with bruises or cuts, instead he came home… happy. They all had. Eridan coming into their lives changed them for the better, not the worst. However, Simon knew he couldn’t say any of that to the other parents. Of course, they would get the wrong idea and he would be cast out as well.

“You two need to calm down. Keep in mind that this man’s son was just kidnapped. Have a little compassion,” Regina growled, staring daggers at the adults in front of her.

“I refuse to have compassion for gang members,” Karcer sniffed. Candace kept her mouth sealed tightly, watching the door like a hawk.

Ten minutes passed before a loud banging could be heard at the door. Simon moved quickly to answer it, not wanting to make Darian Ampora wait any longer. The man pushed past Simon roughly, stepping into the space as his eyes landed on Karkat. Before he could get a word out, however, Candace was jumping forward, her hands extended toward Darian, wanting them to be covered in his blood. Regina quickly intercepted, holding the woman back with slight difficulty.

“How dare you get our children involved in your sinful life!” Karcer growled, stepping forward.

Darian raised a brow. “For your information, I didn’t want them to be involved, but I grew on the idea of my son having friends. They helped more than harmed. Am I still a fan of him having friends? No. Now, if you’ll get out of my way, my son was kidnapped, and I want answers.” He turned to Karkat once more. “The woman you got a call from was Melissa Serket; she kidnapped Eridan tonight after shooting him. He got a call from someone, despite the fact that I’ve told him to leave his phone at home, and that distracted him long enough for her to get at him. Vriska Serket is dead.”

The teenagers looked up at Darian with horror on their faces. Karkat gulped, knowing he could very well die right there. “I was the one that called Eridan. He usually sends out Facebook messages before he goes out to do something gang-related. My internet went out, so I didn’t get the message. I called him with a homework question, I heard him get shot. And then she called me again. Eridan screamed so loud, and I know that she’s hurting him. He gave me your number to call you before Melissa hung up, so I did it. Please, sir, we’ll do whatever we can to help find him.”

The Ampora looked angry at first, but the anger melted off his face when he got word that Eridan was being tortured. “Oh, God…” He ran a hand through his hair roughly before looking at everyone with hard eyes. “None of you are to interfere. My gang has this under control and, along those lines, you are not to tell anyone about this, otherwise it’ll be your life. I don’t know who told, but I’d say you’re lucky I’m not here to kill you.”

The room was silent as Darian looked around, making sure everyone heard him loud and clear. He then turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door behind him and leaving everyone behind in horrified silence.

^^^

“Whose number did you give Karkat, hmm?” Melissa Serket asked Eridan, standing over him, with the heel of her shoe pressing into his abdomen.

Eridan hissed in pain, his eyes closing tightly. “Fuck… you…”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Eridan. You do know I could just look it up, right? I mean, I’m assuming you were giving him your father’s number. It’s a shame he won’t find us, he isn’t all that smart,” the woman laughed. “After all, he couldn’t even find your mother in time. What makes you think he’ll find you?”

Eridan opened his eyes, his glasses askew on his face, making Melissa’s form blurry. “He’ll find me. You aren’t as clever as you think, bitch.”

The smile on Melissa’s face fell at the insult, causing her to dig her heel in further, making Eridan groan. “You’ll regret saying that. I’ll make sure of it.” She then turned to the door. “Aranea! Come in here.”

Eridan looked around the room he was trapped in. The floor was concrete and stained, with what, he wasn’t sure. There were no windows, signaling the fact that he was more than likely in a basement; on his left there was a large metal door that looked to lock from the outside.  He wondered just how many people had been tortured and killed in the very spot he was in; it also made him wonder if his mother had been in the exact same spot as he.  Eridan groaned inwardly, knowing that he’d be lucky to escape on his own, but it didn’t look too likely.

The large door opened with a screech, revealing Aranea. The blonde female stepped into the room, a wide smile on her face. “Yes, mother?”

“Take all his rings off him while I grab the equipment we talked about,” Melissa responded, taking her heeled shoe off of Eridan’s body and walking out of the room.

Aranea stepped up to Eridan, the smile still present on her face. She knelt beside him, grabbing a hand. Eridan sneered at her, trying to pull his hand back. He didn’t want her to touch him, she was absolutely putrid, and he was above her in every way- at least, that’s what he tried telling himself to get past the fear growing inside him.

“If you keep trying to take your hand back, I’ll break your wrist and cut off all your fingers. You don’t want that, do you?” the female asked, smile dropping from her face for a brief moment.

Eridan’s breathing picked up slightly as he kept his hand completely still, letting Aranea slide all the rings off his fingers before placing them in her pocket. As soon as she finished, Melissa walked back in, carrying two black bags.

“Aranea, help me set all of this up,” she said, slightly out of breath.

Her daughter nodded, standing and moving to help Melissa set up a video camera, attaching it to a tripod and placing it in front of Eridan. Dread filled him as he watched, knowing it was more than likely that he was going to die exactly like his mother had. He wished he had gotten to say goodbye to his friends, his father, and his brother. Jerome. The rest of the gang. There was so much he hadn’t gotten to do, and would most likely never do thanks to the Serkets. The only thing he had to hold onto was the fact that he had brought Vriska down with him. No one would have to worry about her any longer.

Once Melissa and Aranea were finished setting everything up, they stood in front of the teenager, their arms crossed over their chests as they looked down at him. Like mother, like daughter.

“I’m sure you know what this means, Eridan. Darian and Cronus are going to get to watch us have our fun with you while they search desperately. They’ll only have a week until the grand finale and, after that, you’ll be dead. And then we’ll go after your brother, and if Darian still can’t catch us, we’ll off him too. Honestly, you should really blame your father for all of this. He’s going to get you all killed,” Melissa said. “We’ll start tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Eridan.” Without another word from Melissa, she exited the room. Aranea blew the teenager a kiss before taking her leave as well.

Eridan jumped slightly as the door shut with the bang, the lock moving in place before everything went silent and Eridan was trapped in the dark, left alone with his racing heart.


	16. The Police Chief's Daughter and The Hacker

The next day at school was torturous for Karkat, Terezi, Sollux, and Feferi. No matter how hard they tried, they just couldn’t get Eridan off their minds enough to focus in class. Instead, they spent most of the morning texting one another, asking if any had heard about anything. Unfortunately, they hadn’t.  
  
Karkat stared straight ahead in all of his classes, whatever the teachers had to say going in one ear and out the other. He didn’t care. School wasn’t important at that moment; Eridan was. He had been taken, and all he was doing was sitting in school. He knew he should have been out looking or doing something, but his father would have never let him off like that, especially after the attitude he had pulled the night before. Karkat had always been an angry child, but he’d never smarted off to his father so much. The same went for the others. All of them had showed different sides of themselves- sides their parents had never seen and definitely didn’t like.  
  
The lunch bell eventually rang, sending most students happily to the cafeteria. The four walked slowly to their table, sitting down and staring at the grains in the fake wood. They didn’t speak to one another, though they all knew what the other was thinking.  
  
Feferi, however, was one that couldn’t stand silence, especially in stressful situations. She looked up, tears in her eyes. The female had decided against makeup that day, knowing it wouldn’t make any difference. She would have cried it all off anyway. “I miss him.”  
  
“Don’t fucking talk about him like he’s dead, Feferi,” Karkat snapped, glaring at his companion.  
  
“Snapping won’t help the situation, Karkat,” Terezi shot back, dark bags under her eyes. Despite what Darian had said, she still continued helping her mother find Eridan, but they had come up with nothing. They couldn’t even trace the calls, meaning Melissa had definitely thought ahead with everything.  
  
Karkat opened his mouth to retort, but before he could the speaker rang out, signaling the fact that there was to be an announcement.  
  
“Attention students; this is an important announcement with very bad news attached. Last night, the body of Vriska Serket was discovered. Apparently she had been involved in a hit and run.” Whispers, as well as a few cheers erupted in the cafeteria. It proved just how bad Vriska was to the students of the school. Terezi looked around, her eyes scanning the room for Aranea. She didn’t expect the female to be there, but decided to search anyway. As she scanned the area, her blue-green eyes landed on Cronus. He, too, had bags under his eyes, though instead of a look of sadness on his face, anger was the main expression. He looked up slowly once he realized he was being stared at. His blue eyes met Terezi’s, anger residing in them.  
  
Terezi tore her eyes away quickly. She hadn’t been the one to suggest the school make an announcement- no, it had been her mother’s doing. Still, she couldn’t help the feeling of guilt that overcame her. She was torn from her thoughts as the principle began speaking once more. “Along with the news of Vriska, we were also filled in that another one of our students, Eridan Ampora, was kidnapped. As of right now, his whereabouts are unknown, so if any of you have any information, please call 655-432-2265. Grief counselors will be in tomorrow morning to help those that were affiliated with Vriska Serket. Thank you.” There was then static and the speaker went quiet.  
  
A pair of hands suddenly smashed on the table, causing the teenagers to jump, looking up into the angry eyes of Cronus.  
  
“What in the fuck are you guys thinking? I know my dad told you not to get involved, and what are you doing?” the male growled lowly.  
  
“We weren’t the ones that had the announcement made, Cronus; it was my mom. Look, I get that you’re upset about Eridan, we are too, but we can help you. Sollux is a damn good hacker and-” Terezi began, though was cut off by Cronus throwing a hand up.  
  
“No. Stop interfering.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked out of the cafeteria.  
  
The four grew silent until Sollux broke it by standing.  
  
“Where are you going?” Karkat asked, concern lacing his voice.  
  
“Darian’s. I’m going to get that fucker to listen to me no matter what. I don’t care if you guys come with me or not, I’m going,” Sollux said, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
The trio looked at one another, weighing their options. They knew that their parents wouldn’t let them out of their sight after school, so the best time to do something about the Eridan situation would have been during. Feferi stood next, pushing in her chair and grabbing her backpack. “I’m in.”  
  
“So am I,” Karkat declared.  
  
“Fuck it, me too,” Terezi muttered, throwing her arms up and following the others out. They moved out the back, traveling quickly to their cars. It was easy to get away from the school undetected, plus students were leaving anyway, using Vriska’s death as their excuse.  
  
“KK, you can ride with me,” Sollux muttered to his friend as they all got into their cars. They wasted no time in driving to Darian’s, nearly breaking laws with how quickly they arrived.  
  
Upon arrival, they noticed Cronus’ car in the driveway. It was clear he had come home early as well, no doubt telling Darian about the announcement at the school. The group gathered around Sollux’s vehicle, ready to talk about how they were going to approach Darian. They knew he wouldn’t be too keen on them showing up at their house and trying to help, especially in Karkat’s case.  
  
“I say we just be upfront with him. If he knows we aren’t afraid, he might be a little more willing to accept our help,” Feferi said with a shrug, her brown eyes continuously drifting toward the large house.  It wasn't clear if she was frightened or anxious to get the conversation over with.  
  
“I agree with Feferi. Plus, we can bring up our strengths. My mom is on the police force and I’ve done a lot of training, Sollux and his family are full of hackers, and Feferi’s mom is absolutely loaded,” Terezi added, trying not to look at Karkat, though nobody missed the fact that he wasn’t brought up. It was clear that he didn’t have a single strength to bring to the table, which made him feel absolutely useless in the situation he had found himself in.  
  
“Let’s do this,” Sollux muttered, moving ahead of the others and stomping up to the door, slamming his fist against the expensive wood.  
  
It didn’t take long for Darian to answer the door. A five o’clock shadow littering his face, his blue eyes empty, and his jaw set. He tensed noticeably when he realized just who it was at the door.  
  
“I don’t have time for this,” he growled, moving to shut the door; however, Karkat moved forward quickly, throwing a hand out and stopping Darian.  
  
“We need to talk to you, Mr. Ampora,” Feferi spoke up, her voice empty, but harsh. It was obvious she really wanted what she was asking.  
  
The man looked the others up and down before rolling his eyes, mumbling something unintelligible under his breath as he stood to the side, letting the teenagers in. They entered quickly, before he could think about changing his mind.  
  
Once the they were inside, Darian shut the door before rounding on them. “Now, what do you want?”  
  
“We think we can help, Mr. Ampora. Eridan’s our friend, as much as you don’t want to admit it. He’s been there for us, and we want to be there for him,” Feferi sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke.  
  
“Oh? And your method of ‘helping’ is having your mother make an announcement to the entirety of the school? I don’t know if you know this, but that can prove to be fatal,” Darian growled.  
  
“That wasn’t us, you complete fucking idiot!” Terezi shouted, losing her patience entirely with Darian. She understand how much he was hurting, as she had seen families with lost children; Terezi had seen people fall apart due to missing kids. Darian was no different, other than the fact that Eridan going missing was the result of gang activity. She wondered if he blamed himself for it. “My mom issued it. She’s a police officer and a mother. She knows how much Eridan means to us, and wants him found, too. Now if you’d just let us help you, we could find him much faster!”  
  
The man went quiet, avoiding eye contact with the others. It was clear he was lost in thought, weighing the options of having people outside of his gang helping him, especially due to the fact that one of the people there was the reason his son was taken in the first place. Still, he figured that Eridan would have wanted them to help; he would have wanted them to be included. It was obvious Eridan cared for them as much as they cared for him. He rubbed his calloused hand over his face, sighing, ready to give in; however, just as he was about to, Cronus burst into the room, his eyes wide and wild.  
  
“Dad, you need to get in here, now,” he said, voice hoarse. He paid no attention to the others at the door and instead moved back into the room he’d come from.  
  
Darian moved quickly after Cronus, not speaking another word to the teenagers, who decided to follow him. They didn’t care that they hadn’t been invited in; Cronus looked absolutely terrified and they needed to know if it had anything to do with Eridan.  
  
With the small group in the living room, everyone went absolutely silent as their eyes hit the TV. On the screen was Eridan, laying on the dirty ground. A look of fear showed in his blue eyes as he looked around frantically, his chest heaving. Feferi slapped a hand over her mouth, grabbing Terezi’s hand and squeezing it tightly to keep from crying. What was in front of them was something they’d never seen before- not even Terezi had witnessed it. It caused all of them to freeze in place, unable to do a single thing.  
  
Another figured moved into the shot on the screen- Aranea. It didn’t take anyone in the room long to figure out she was putting rings on her fingers. Most of them were simple gold bands, but others were more extravagant, with violet jewels tinging them. Terezi realized what the female was doing before anyone else. “She’s going to beat the shit out of Eridan, just like he did with Vriska,” she whispered, eyes widening.  
  
No one looked at her, though Feferi gave her hand another squeeze. Darian and Cronus sunk down on the couch, unblinking and barely breathing as they watched their son and brother watch his abuser helplessly. He looked so weak, which was a position no one had seen him in. Eridan absolutely hated showing weakness, especially in front of his enemies.  
  
Aranea moved closer to Eridan, a sick grin on her face as she brought her hand back before bringing it forward quickly, her fist colliding with Eridan’s gut. He gasped in pain, eyes widening before closing as Aranea hit him again, though her fist clashed with his face, breaking the skin on his cheek. The black-haired male brought his hands up, desperately trying to shield himself from the blows. Unfortunately, nothing he did worked, as Aranea continuously found openings on the other.  
  
The beating lasted ten minutes. Ten minutes of Eridan’s sharp cries and groans. By the end, there were several cuts on his face, all of them oozing blood as he brought himself into fetal position, hissing in pain. There was absolutely nothing he could do though. Fight back? No, there was no way. He was too weak, that had been proven early on. Eridan was absolutely helpless.  
  
“Thank you, Aranea. Go ahead and clean up,” another voice spoke from behind the camera.  
  
Upon hearing it, Darian tensed noticeably, his hands turning to fists as Melissa Serket walked to the front of the camera, kneeling next to Eridan. A smile illuminated her features as she gripped him by the hair, pulling him up.  
  
“Say hi to your Dad and brother, Eridan. You have an audience, you should really smile,” Melissa said, her voice brimming with sarcasm.  
  
Eridan’s eyes widened once more as he began struggling to get away; he didn’t want to be seen. He didn’t want his father to think of him as weak for simply taking Aranea’s beating. Of course, it was too late then. He’d probably watched it. In fact, he was probably calling off the search for him. Why would someone so weak deserve to be rescued? Tears filled his eyes, though he quickly began blinking them away, trying hard to not fall apart. He didn’t _want_ to fall apart.  
  
Melissa shoved the teenager away from her with a look of disgust, obviously bored with him for the time being. She stood, walking to the camera and looking into it, almost as if she could actually see Darian and the others surrounding him.  
  
“You have a week to find him, Darian; if you fail, then you get to watch him die. The clock is ticking,” the woman giggled just as the camera shut off, leaving the screen blank.  
  
No one moved and no one talked for a while, stunned and horrified by what they had seen. It was Sollux that moved into action first, laying his backpack on the ground and pulling his laptop out.  
  
“What are you doing?” Darian asked, snapping out of his own thoughts and looking down at Sollux.  
  
“I’m a hacker.”  
  
“Okay? What does that have to do with my question?” Darian’s voice betrayed the confusion that he was trying to mask as he watched Sollux move to the TV, plugging in a few cords from his laptop and typing furiously.  
  
“He’s going to try and find where the feed was coming from,” Terezi responded, moving to Sollux’s side, hoping he would be able to find something. She tried not to think about what she’d just seen and instead applied her emotions to what Sollux was doing, helping him out as best as she could.  
  
Cronus, Feferi, and Karkat stayed where they were, silent tears rolling down their cheeks. Nothing was comprehending in their minds. They didn’t want to believe what they just saw; they didn’t want to believe Eridan would be tortured and potentially die if Darian didn’t find him in time. As everything began hitting him fully, Karkat sank to his knees, choking back sobs as he ran his fingers through his hair, tugging. He needed to get his mind off of everything. He needed to forget; he didn’t want to think about Eridan.  
  
“Karkat?” Feferi asked, her voice small as she moved to the male, sinking next to him and wrapping her arms around his frame. Together the two of them slowly fell apart.  
  
Sollux, on the other hand, remained busy. He cursed loudly when he couldn’t find anything. The blond slammed his laptop closed before turning to Darian. “It’s obvious Melissa is going to be doing this again, so I need to be here. If I’m actually present and tracking the address while everything is going on, I can find her faster. There isn’t a trace of her right now. Let me do this, Ampora. Please.”  
  
Darian looked at the hacker with hard eyes for a moment before they fell closed. He exhaled through his nose as he threw his arms up. “Fine. Do what you must.”


	17. Carvings

“Eridan, wake up,” a voice called out, forcing a groan out of the teenager. His body ached, head pounding. He could feel the dried blood on his face cracking as he winced, opening his eyes. Melissa stood in front of him, a smirk on her face that Eridan had gotten used to.  
  
“Are you ready to get started?” she asked, obviously not waiting for an actual answer, as she stood up straight. Melissa moved to the camera, pushing the record button before moving back to Eridan. “Is there anything you’d like to say before we begin?”  
  
He looked away, refusing to answer anything she asked, especially since he knew his father and brother was probably watching. Plus, what was there to say? Nothing he would say would make a difference. Melissa wouldn’t stop. He only wished his death would come quickly. A sharp slap to the face jolted him from any thoughts of death and back into reality; back into the world of pain. “So, Eridan, I thought about all the things I could do to you. My mind went absolutely wild last night just thinking of all the possibilities, but then I thought why come up with new ideas? Why not just do exactly what I did to your mother? I want to test something out with that, anyway. I’d love to see which of you screams the loudest, or maybe which one of you dies first. Perhaps both? It took your dear old mom four days to die; she just couldn’t hold out. Let’s see if you can break that record,” Melissa said, a dark grin illuminating her features in the worst way possible.  
  
Tears filled Eridan’s eyes as he took in her words. Anger moved through him before it quickly diminished to hopelessness. What could he do? Death meant being reunited with his mother, right? He knew there was that to look forward to if he didn’t make it out alive. He’d never given up so quickly in his life, but he decided not to dwell on that fact too long.  
  
While lost in thought, thinking about how nice the sweet release of death would be, Melissa had grabbed a large knife. The blade glinting off the light brought him back to reality yet again. His eyes widened as he shook his head, moving back as best he could. It didn’t help that it felt like his entire body was on fire, pain shooting through it every time he moved.  
  
The woman moved forward quickly, gripping Eridan by the throat before slamming him to the ground, his line of vision becoming unfocused slightly due to the impact. The blonde used that time to rip his shirt open, right down the middle. She pulled it apart quickly, using it to bind his hands together. She didn’t want him moving too much- it would ruin the art. Eridan groaned slightly as he found himself unable to move his hands. He had absolutely no way of protecting himself.  
  
Melissa laid a manicured hand on his chest, using it to hold him in place better. She then positioned the knife better in her hand, pressing the blade of the knife against his skin. Eridan gasped in response, his body tensing as he prepared himself for the pain that was going to be issued.  
  
The woman slashed at his skin slowly, wasting no time in getting started. She began carving patterns into Eridan’s skin- making sure none were too deep; it was only the second day after all. There was still so much to do. Eridan gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. He didn’t want to show any signs of weakness. He didn’t want Melissa to feel the satisfaction.  
  
“Tell me how it feels, Eridan. No, tell your Daddy how it feels,” the woman laughed, _knowing_ how much Eridan was hurting.  
  
He shook his head, a few tears squeezing from his closed eyes and sliding down his cheeks. Fuck, he didn’t want to cry. Despite the fact that he kept telling himself it didn’t hurt and he didn’t care, it did. Eridan wanted it all to stop. He wanted to go back to his friends. He wanted to be told everything would be okay.  
  
But it wasn’t okay.  


 

^^^

  
  
Darian and Cronus watched the feed of Eridan on the TV, their faces grim as they took in what Melissa was doing to him. Cronus couldn’t stop the tears that gathered in his eyes, making their way down his cheeks. He wanted to help his little brother, but couldn’t. He didn’t want Eridan to go through what he was.  
  
Sollux sat near the TV, trying not to look at the screen. The blond didn’t want to see the blood oozing out of Eridan’s body with every cut Melissa made, and he didn’t want to hear the small groans of pain escaping him. He didn’t want to see or hear any of it, but knew he had to endure it in order to find him. Feferi, Karkat, and Terezi sat behind him, their eyes avoiding the screen as well. The four had left school early once more, speaking with Regina to help them cover everything up so their parents didn’t find out.  
  
“Are you finding anything, Sollux?” Darian asked, his voice strained.  
  
“Nothing yet. How long has the feed been on?” Sollux asked in response, his eyes never leaving his computer screen.  
  
“Ten minutes,” the man responded, checking his watch briefly.  
  
“It hasn’t been long enough. I’m not getting a fucking thing from this; I need to dig deeper.”  
  
“Do whatever it takes. Cronus, are you okay?” he asked his other son, concern on his voice. He wanted to take a break from watching what Melissa was doing to Eridan. He couldn’t handle seeing his son in the position he was in.  
  
Cronus shook his head. “What in the fuck do you think, Dad?”  
  
Darian didn’t respond, instead he stood and walked out of the room soundlessly. He needed some sort of escape, but couldn’t think of anything to do with his time. Eridan plagued his mind, everything that had happened before he was kidnapped haunted him. The man regretted not taking his sons' words into consideration. He should have known it was a trap, but the thought of revenge had been the strongest in his mind.  
  
He ran a hand down his face, moving to the basement. Jerome. He needed to speak with Jerome.  
  
Darian went down the stairs quickly, stopping at Jerome’s door. He had never been nervous before he spoke with the gang’s doctor, but he just got a bad feeling. The man hadn’t seen nor heard from Jerome since he had gotten word that Eridan had been kidnapped. The elder man had simply shaken his head and left the room, as if he were a disappointed father. Darian hated that, he hated feeling the way he did. And he hated the fact that it was clear Jerome probably blamed him, especially because he blamed himself.  
  
He knocked loudly before stepping back, waiting for a confirmation to come in.  
  
“Yes?” a voice called from within.  
  
“I need to speak with you, Jerome,” Darian responded.  
  
A loud sigh met his ears, but footsteps soon replaced it. Soon enough, the door opened, revealing a disheveled looking Jerome. His salt and pepper hair stood up every which way, it was clear he needed a shave and two days worth of sleep.  
  
“What do you need to speak with me about?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
“I- haven’t seen you around.”  
  
“I refuse to watch what’s happening. I watched it happen with Margo, and I’m not going to be able to bear seeing it with Eridan. I think of him as a grandson, Darian; do you know how I felt when I heard he had been kidnapped? He tried telling you no. He had a bad feeling about it, we all did, but you refused to listen. You only think about yourself or those that have already passed, Darian,” Jerome growled, venom in his voice.  
  
Darian’s mouth dropped as if he had been slapped. Jerome had never spoken to him in such a way, and he found himself surprised because of it.  
  
“Margo wouldn’t have wanted any of this to happen, Darian. She would’ve wanted you to let all of this go. You know she didn’t believe in revenge; and now- now Eridan’s probably going to die because of you. If he does, you can expect me to be on my way. I won’t stand by and watch something happen to Cronus as well,” the man added, gripping the door frame.  
  
“She would’ve wanted me to do something. Don’t act like you knew her Jerome! As for Eridan, we’ll get him out of there. He’s strong, he’ll survive,” Darian said, his face growing red with anger. The conversation with Jerome wasn’t going the way he had planned. He hadn’t expected a fight.  
  
“No, she wouldn’t have; you and I both know that, but you’re simply looking for excuses. Your boys are what keeps this gang together, so expect a lot of us to leave if you’re wrong… I hope he makes it out too, Darian, but you know how the Serkets are. I can’t see him die, but there’s absolutely nothing I can do to help. I’m only a doctor, other than that, I’m useless. Absolutely- useless.” He shook his head before shutting the door in the other’s face.  
  
Darian took a few steps back, letting everything Jerome said hit him. However, instead of getting angry about it and confronting him, he moved back up the stairs. He stepped into the living room, sitting on the couch and resting a hand on Cronus’ thigh, trying to support him. The teenager’s blue eyes were still glued to the TV, as if he couldn’t tear them away even though he desperately wanted to.  
  
“Cronus, go to the kitchen and get yourself something to eat, okay?” Darian said, trying to keep his voice even. He didn’t realize tears were threatening to spill out of his own eyes until it was too late.  
  
Cronus simply nodded, standing up and going to the kitchen, almost as if he were a robot doing only the simple things- only doing what would keep him alive and nothing more.  
  
“I need to go; my mom is starting to get really suspicious so I might not be over for a few days,” Feferi muttered, speaking only to the teenagers, still Darian decided to put in his two cents.  
  
“I’m sure one of the others can keep you updated. If something comes up, you’ll know Miss Feferi,” he said.  
  
Feferi nodded, looking at the others and giving a small wave before heading out.

Sollux ran a hand through his hair.  “This cunt is good at what she does. Everything is almost impossible to get around, but I have found some sort of trail. I’m not sure where it leads, but I’ll get it. I know I will,” he said, taking a sip of an energy drink he had brought with him.  
  
“How long do you think it’ll take?” Terezi asked, biting at her nails.  
  
“It’s hard to say; I’ve never had to get through anything like this before, especially in such a short amount of time.”  
  
“And you’re sure you’ll be able to get it?” Karkat asked, suspicion in his voice. It wasn’t that he doubted what Sollux could do, because he didn’t; it was the fact that sometimes a large project took him a few weeks to get done, and Eridan didn’t have that much time.  
  
Sollux glared at Karkat for a moment before rolling his eyes. “Yes, KK, I’m sure. Thanks for having faith in me.”  
  
“You know that’s not what I meant, Sollux. I’m sorry I’m fucking freaking out here,” Karkat shot back, feeling bad, but also not caring. Sollux didn’t need to take everything personally.  
  
“Do you not think I’m freaking out, too? KK, ED and I kissed. I really fucking like him, and now this is happening, and I feel like I should do more. FF and TZ feel the same, but we’re doing all we can. So, if you could stop being a shit, maybe you could help us out and just shut the fuck up,” Sollux growled, staring daggers at Karkat.  
  
Karkat's eyes widened as he took in what Sollux had said, feeling hurt. He and Eridan had kissed; even though it was _clear as day_ that he liked Eridan as well?  Not only that, but they had made a fucking _pact_.  Did that mean nothing to Sollux?  He couldn’t stop the look of betrayal that overcame his face. “Un-understood. I’m sorry; I should probably go. Text me if something else happens, Terezi,” Karkat muttered, standing quickly and leaving without another word. Tears tracked down his cheeks as he left the Ampora residence. He wasn’t angry or hurt toward Eridan- no, all of it was directed toward his best friend. How could Sollux have done something like that?   
  
He knew it was the worst time to be thinking about his feelings for Eridan, considering the circumstances, but he couldn’t help it.  


 

^^^

  
  
Eridan gasped in pain as Melissa finished her carving. His blood covered the blade of the knife and moved down his body in tiny, thick rivers. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He couldn’t help it, the pain grew to be too great. It was impossible to hold them back.  
  
“We’re almost done for today, Eridan,” Melissa said, the tone of her voice kind and reassuring. The teenager wasn’t sure what to make of it. Why would she play the kind card with him? She wanted revenge and nothing but that, so what was the point? “There’s just one last thing that needs to be done.”  
  
Eridan looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes. The silhouette of her was absolutely terrifying to see, as he had lost his glasses at some point; he was sure it was Melissa that had taken them. In fact, they were probably destroyed or sitting in the trash somewhere. It gave the woman the perfect advantage over him however; take his glasses and he won’t be able to escape.  
  
The blonde’s leg shot out, colliding with Eridan’s face as he fell back, his world going dark due to the impact.


	18. Heartbeats and Rescues

A scream escaped Eridan’s mouth as Melissa held a flame to his flesh, scorching it. It had been four days and he was falling apart completely; he had lost all hope of being found and had fully accepted he would die where he was. Melissa had done a spectacular job in helping him come to such a conclusion. He didn’t see the point in holding anything back- tears, begs, and apologies. In all actuality, he didn’t know why he apologized to Melissa. Wasting her time? Crying in front of her? Killing Vriska? He wasn’t sure, but he simply didn’t care anymore. The only thing on his mind was the pain and wishful thinking for death.

“That’s right, tell your Dad how much it hurts,” the blonde crooned, a sickening smile on her face. Eridan had gotten used to seeing it, as it had become such a common thing in his life. He missed seeing the smiles of his friends- Karkat’s scowl, Terezi’s cackle, Feferi’s wide grin, Sollux’s smirk. He’d gotten so used to seeing them and didn’t realize just how much he would miss them until they were gone- out of his reach forever. He wondered what their expressions would contain if they saw him in the position he was in.  Eridan wondered if they would cry.

The flame lapping at his skin brought Eridan out of his thoughts as another scream escaped him. His back arched slightly, his head lolling to the side; sweat poured down his temple as he tried to keep his eyes from rolling into the back of his head. It was difficult to remain conscious, but he knew he had to. If he didn’t, it would only mean more pain when he woke up. Eridan prayed his heart would end up give out.

The intensity of the heat suddenly went away, Melissa growing bored of Eridan’s reactions. She knew the week was beginning to come to a close and figured Darian would be in for a surprise. She was tired of waiting for the mid-finale. The woman turned to her daughter, who stood to the side in the room, simply watching everything going on with an air of satisfaction.

“Aranea, it’s time to do what we talked about. Go get me the pail of water and that old car battery,” the woman barked.

Aranea nodded, leaving the room quickly as Melissa put away her other things, not caring about having her back to Eridan. She knew he would be of no use in a fight. The teenager was absolutely useless in the condition he was in. The woman had beaten him multiple times, carved into his skin with a knife, burned him, and convinced him that everything was his fault, though the latter hadn’t taken much convincing. She knew his mind was plagued as well. He was a broken boy, which meant she had won. If Darian ended up finding him in time, he would never be the same, and that was a fact.

Aranea came back into the room, holding a large pail of water, which was promptly dumped on Eridan, creating a large puddle around him, as well as soaking his person. He sputtered slightly, spitting out the water that had made it into his mouth. He didn’t trust what else they had put in it, if anything. He looked up at the females, watching them closely. Aranea then handed the car battery to her mother, along with a few frayed wires. She flipped the switch on the battery, listening as it started humming softly. Her gray eyes landed on Eridan, a smirk moving to her face.

She then turned to the camera. “Let’s see how he fares with this, Darian.” Without another word, she threw the battery into the puddle, moving out of the way quickly and dragging Aranea with her.

Eridan’s body went rigid, shaking slightly. His eyes widened, saliva escaping his open mouth. His face held an expression of unbridled pain. There was a loud popping before everything went quiet, the teenager’s head lolling to the side.

^^^

“Oh my God! Dad, did they just-? Is he-?” Cronus couldn’t find the words to speak as he watched his younger brother being electrocuted. He stared at the lifeless looking body on the TV screen, horror on his face.

Darian held a hand over his mouth, standing quickly. His heart was racing, unable to be calmed until he knew Eridan was still alive. He _knew_ it was selfish of him, as it was clear his son had been in pain, but he didn’t want to lose his baby boy.

“Well fuck. Aranea, kick the battery out of the way; it seems to be dead anyway,” Melissa said, clearly audible to those that watched.

Aranea did as she was asked wordlessly, jumping back as soon as she did so, though her mother had been right about the battery being dead, dying at what it had to do. Once Aranea had moved out of the way, Melissa moved forward, dropping to her knees and checking Eridan’s pulse. With a soft tsk and a roll of her eyes, she began doing CPR on him.

“No! She fucking killed him,” Sollux screamed, trying to stop himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He couldn’t watch what was happening- he wanted to stop, but couldn’t tear his eyes away. If Eridan was dead, he’d never be able to fully move on.

Feferi began sobbing loudly, grasping Terezi, who had silent tears rolling down her face.

“Eri, no! That fucking bitch. Fuck, Eri please come back. Don’t give up yet, we’ll find you!” Cronus sobbed, speaking to the screen before his head dropped to his hands, violent sobs overcoming him.

Tears fogged Sollux’s vision as he worked on finding the location. Even if Eridan was gone, he’d still want to find the body. He couldn’t just give up; he wouldn’t allow himself to. He typed, clicked a few times, and then it happened.

“Guys, I got it!” he exclaimed, turning to Darian, whose eyes flitted to the blond male.

“Tell me where it is; now,” Darian growled, pulling his car keys from his pocket.

“1322 Redwood Road,” the male responded.

The gang leader nodded. “Cronus, come along. We’ll get our revenge if he is gone.” He quickly turned all-business, trying to push his emotions to the side. He couldn’t let them get in the way; the last thing he needed was to see Melissa get away again.

Cronus stood, picking up his gun from the end table. The two then left without another word as Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux watched the screen with bated breath.

“Come on, Eridan. You’re stronger than this. Your Dad is coming for you, please don’t give up,” Terezi whispered, her voice raspier than usual due to the lump in her throat. She had to believe he’d come back.

Her wish came true, as Melissa suddenly stopped pushing at Eridan’s chest when he gasped, coming back to life with a deep groan of pain. New tears poured over the old, though relief filled them. Eridan was okay and was going to be rescued. Everything would end once Darian and Cronus came in.

“You got lucky this time, kid. Give it a few days and no one will be here to revive you,” Melissa muttered, wiping her mouth.

“Wh-why did you revive me?” Eridan whispered, his voice empty save for the agony that was clear on his voice.

“I need you alive, Eridan. I figured this was obvious,” the woman said with a roll of her eyes, before standing up. “Not only is this getting to you, it’s also getting to your pathetic excuse of a father. He must hate himself right now over the fact that, no matter what he does, he can’t find you.”

“You're wrong, bitch,” Darian growled, not giving Melissa a chance to react before shooting Aranea in the head. She hit the ground in a slump, motionless.

Melissa’s eyes widened as she stared at her deceased daughter, lying just as Vriska had when she was killed. Anger quickly replaced the look of grief as she grabbed for her own gun from its holster on her hip; however she didn’t get a chance to shoot it, as Cronus shoved past his father, tackling the woman to the ground and slamming her head into the concrete below a few times, not enough to kill, but enough to knock her out.

Once they made sure she was downed, they moved to Eridan, who had passed out.

“He’s still breathing. Grab him, Cronus; I’ll get Melissa,” Darian muttered, trying not to take notice of the wounds Eridan had received. He didn’t want to cry at that moment; he had to make sure Eridan was fully okay. “We’ll drop Melissa off and then go to the hospital. You can tie her up and give the others a ride. Do you understand me, Cronus?”

Cronus nodded as he picked Eridan up bridal style, careful not to disturb him too much. The last thing he needed was to cause his little brother more pain. The men then left, throwing Melissa in the trunk, and Eridan in the back seat before pulling away and going back to their place. Cronus got out, dragging Melissa along. He was sure he had pulled her arm from its socket, but didn’t care. She deserved it.

“I’ll see you at the hospital. If she wakes up, knock her out again, but don’t kill her, Cronus. We can save that for Eridan,” Darian said quickly before putting the car into drive and pulling out, zooming to the hospital.

Cronus dragged the blonde woman inside, opening the door to the basement and throwing her down the stairs. Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux joined him.

“Where’s Eridan?” Feferi asked quickly, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “We saw you take down Aranea and then you left.”

“Dad’s taking him to the hospital. I need to get this bitch tied up. Do you three want to come with me?” Cronus asked.

The teenagers nodded, Terezi pulling her phone out of her pocket. “I need to call Karkat and let him know. I’ll be right back.”

“Do you need help?” Feferi asked, her brown eyes glaring at the woman passed out at the bottom of the stairs. The only word that came to mind that would describe how she felt about Melissa was hatred. She hated her, and the only person she’d ever hated had been her father. Feferi wanted to see the woman dead, but not before suffering just like Eridan had.

“No, I’ve got her. If you could let Jerome know that we got Eridan, though, that’d be great. He’s in his office. It’s down the hall and to the right,” Cronus responded before making his way down the stairs. Sollux followed him wordlessly, his eyes not leaving Melissa’s body. He shared the same feelings as Feferi toward her.

Feferi moved away from the two, listening to Cronus’s directions and knocking on Jerome’s door.

“Yes?” came a voice from within.

“Sir, I’m Feferi. Eridan’s been found; he’s on his way to the hospital now,” Feferi responded through the door.

There was silence followed by quick footsteps on the other side of the door, then it opened and Jerome appeared. “Darian found him?”

“Technically Sollux did, but Darian got him, yes.”

“Oh, good God!” the man exclaimed, running a hand over his face as tears filled his green eyes. “How are you going to get to the hospital?”

“Cronus is taking us, though if you wanted to head out now, I wouldn’t mind tagging along,” Feferi said with a shrug, eager to get out of the house. She needed to see Eridan- or at least know for sure he was okay.

Jerome nodded. “Okay, come along.” He went back inside his room, grabbing a jacket and keys before moving out of the room, shutting the door behind him tightly. Feferi followed him closely to the car.

^^^

Darian, Cronus, Jerome, Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux stood in the waiting room, too restless to sit. Eridan had been in surgery for an hour- an hour of suffering for those who loved him.

Their attention was taken away from the ER doors as Karkat ran in, breathless. “Is he okay?”

“Karkat!” Feferi exclaimed, running to him, fresh tears in her eyes. “He’s still in surgery.”

“I got here as fast as I could; I’m sorry it took so long. My dad’s being a piece of shit again, surprise surprise,” the black-haired male muttered with a roll of his brown eyes.

“You haven’t missed anything,” Terezi muttered, finally sitting down after pacing for so long. She ran a hand through her black and red hair; waiting was getting tiring, they couldn’t keep it up.

At that moment, a doctor stepped out of the ER section, holding a clipboard. “Ampora?”

Darian moved to the woman quickly, his brows raised as his heart began pounding once more. He felt as if he were going to throw up; he was terrified to hear the news, but excited at once. His son was a fighter, and that was clear as day. Cronus and Jerome came up behind him, the others hanging back, though straining to hear what was being said.

“His injuries are extensive; multiple lacerations, burns, broken bones, and more. He seems to have suffered from electrocution, which brings up a problem,” the doctor began.

Darian’s breath caught in his throat, rendering him unable to speak.

“What’s the problem?” Jerome asked in place, his voice wavering.

“The amount of voltage used should have killed him permanently- it obviously didn’t, but his heart is severely damaged.”

“What are you saying?” Sollux asked, also stepping forward. He hated how cryptic the doctor was being.

“Depending on the activities Mr. Ampora does, he only has five years to live until his heart gives out completely.”


	19. Breaking the News

The room went silent as the group took in what the doctor said.

“Is there anything you can do?” Feferi asked softly, tears filling her eyes once more.

“He can be put on a transplant list; unfortunately that’s the only way we’ll be able to save him,” the doctor responded, his voice sounding grim. It was easy to tell he didn’t want to be the one giving everyone the news. “Eridan will be awake in a few hours; he’s stabilized and will have to wear a heart monitor so we can keep everything under control if he overexerts himself. If he’s on any sports teams, it would be wise to get him out of them.”

“Where’s the transplant list I can sign?” Darian suddenly asked. His face had paled quite a bit and it was clear he was fighting back tears.

“Over here, sir,” the doctor responded, gesturing for Darian to follow.

As soon as the men left the group, Cronus turned to the others. “Who should tell him?”

“I feel like your father should, but from how determined he looked, I don’t think he’s going to want to,” Jerome muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You mean he’d actually try and keep this a secret from Eridan?” Terezi exclaimed in disbelief.

Jerome nodded, averting his eyes away from the others as if he were ashamed of Darian. “Yes, but we can’t have that happen. Eridan needs to know what’s going on with his own body, otherwise he could overexert himself and not know what’s going on. Fear would only make things worse.”

“I’ll tell him,” Sollux piped up, pushing his hands into his pockets. He didn’t know how he would bring it up, but there had to be some way.

“Perhaps it would be best if one of you were to bring it up. Just don’t show too much sadness around him, because that will affect him badly; be calm, okay?” Jerome said, though stopped talking completely when Darian walked back in, stopping next to Cronus.

“Nobody is to tell Eridan about this, do you understand?” he asked, voice low and threatening.

“With all due respect, isn’t that the wrong thing to do?” Terezi asked, her blue-green eyes hard as she stared the man down.

“No, it isn’t. This will help protect him; Eridan doesn’t take things like this well,” the man responded, wasting no time with Terezi. “When the time comes for us to be able to see him, Cronus, Jerome, and I will go first. After that it should just be one or two at a time. Is that clear?”

Everyone nodded wordlessly, not wanting to argue with Darian on the matter. Once the man had seen confirmation from everyone, he turned and walked to the bench, running his hands over his face before letting his head fall forward. Jerome sighed, looking at Sollux briefly before joining Darian on the bench. The others stayed where they were, huddling close together.

“So am I going to be the one to tell him?” Sollux asked quietly.

“I think you should, but I could potentially say something if you wanted me to,” Terezi responded with a shrug. “We both know I’m better with words, plus Eridan and I have talked quite a bit. I was the first one of us to find out about the gang- save for my mother.”

“Okay, so Sollux tells Eridan and if he can’t, Terezi will. Sounds good to me,” Cronus muttered, though he kept his eyes downward, biting at his bottom lip.  He was aware he would never be able to tell Eridan such a thing.  His brother had survived being tortured only to be told he had a defective heart.

Feferi rested her hand on Cronus’s arm. “How are you holding up, Cronus?”

“My little brother was just tortured and now he’s on a fucking transplant list. How do you think I’m holding up?” he snapped, glaring at Feferi for a moment, who brought her hand back to her, though his anger was short-lived as, soon enough, his shoulders slumped. “Eridan’s always been the strong one; he’s even proven to be stronger than dad because he doesn’t let anything get to him- he’s…” the teenager trailed off as tears began dribbling down his cheeks. “I just don’t want anything to happen to him.”

The others stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. Sure they hadn’t known Eridan nearly as long, but they still felt an attachment. They loved him and didn’t want any harm to come to him.

“We all just need to be here for him,” Karkat said softly. “We need to make sure he knows he’s loved.”

^^^

The Amporas and friends had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, simply waiting for the moment they could see Eridan once more.

Terezi stood, reaching her arms over her head in a stretch; there were a few cracks as she sighed, turning to the others. “Do any of you want coffee?”

“I’ll take a cup,” Jerome said, dark circles forming under his eyes.

“Me too,” Cronus said, raising a hand.

“Same,” Sollux added, running a hand through his hair.

“Got it. I’ll be back,” Terezi said before turning and walking toward the cafeteria.

Cronus and Jerome went back to not speaking, simply sitting in their seats and staring either straight ahead or at the plain white floor. No one wanted to talk about the future and what would happen with Eridan. They all knew it would be awhile before he bounced back… add on the fact that he was on a wait list for a heart transplant, and they knew he would only go downhill; there had to be something they could do.

The silence was broken when Karkat’s cellphone began ringing, dragging everyone from similar thoughts.

“Fuck, it’s my dad. I really hope Regina covered for me like she said she would. I need to take this,” he said, standing and walking out of the hospital. The cool air hit him as soon as he walked out, traffic speeding past. He only hoped Karcer wouldn’t question it. “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Karcer’s voice practically boomed on the other line.

“I’m at Regina’s, dad. I thought I told you that,” he responded with a sigh.

“Oh, just making sure. I need you back home, so have Regina give you a ride, unless you want me to pick you u-”

“No, that’s fine. Regina will drive me over. I’ll be there soon, dad.” Karkat hung up without another word before going back inside. He walked straight up to Feferi, running a hand through his hair. “Feferi, can you give me a ride home?”

“Your dad wants you back?”

“Yeah, and I need to get back before he does. He thinks I’m at Regina’s.”

The female sighed, flipping her long hair over her shoulder as she stood. “Yeah, I’ll take you home. Let me know if something comes up, Sollux. Come on, Karkat.” She then lead the male out of the hospital, leaving Jerome, Darian, Cronus, and Sollux alone. Sollux cleared his throat awkwardly, wondering if there was anything he needed to say, but coming up blank. No conversation starter would be good enough.

Instead, the group went back to silence until Terezi came back, handing out coffees and taking a seat. “Where’s Feferi and Karkat?”

“KK had to go home, so FF offered to take him,” Sollux responded, taking a sip of the scalding black liquid.  While it seared his tongue, it also did enough to wake him up, which was exactly what he needed.

Terezi nodded, peeking at the others before sighing softly. “So, this might be a bad time to bring up, but I’m sick of waiting in silence. These thoughts just keeping coming up, and I’m sick of them… You really kissed Eridan?”

Sollux nearly choked on his drink, obviously not expecting Terezi to bring the kiss to the table. “Yeah, why?”

“Just wondering,” she went silent once more, chewing at her bottom lip softly. “I kissed Feferi.”

“Wait, what?” Sollux asked, eyes widening.

“Yup, right on the lips.”

“When?”

“The same day you kissed Eridan. We were going to bring it up when Eridan came back to school but, y’know… Her and I are dating, Sollux,” Terezi said, offering the other a small smile. She hoped positive news would be enough to lighten everything going on. At least, it made her feel happy. Her and Feferi hadn’t spoken much since everything happened, due to the intense stress levels and anxiety brought forth, but it was still a factor that kept Terezi together and strong for her friends.

“Well, congratulations, TZ; that’s really great.” Sollux smiled, trying to be supportive, but it was hard to do so when his potential boyfriend had only five years to live max. “I hope ED and I make it that far- if he even wants to date me after all this.”

“I don’t think you should give up on him. He does really like you; but I also think you should bring the kiss up to Karkat. You really caught him off-guard when you spilled the beans like that.”

“I know, I know, and I feel really bad about it. Honestly, me saying anything was an accident. I was just freaking out, and I didn’t have it in me to stop KK. Does that make me a bad person?”

Terezi offered a teasing smile. “No, it makes you a damn idiot, but hey, we all knew you were.”

He nudged her, rolling his eyes dramatically, but smiling anyhow.

Their conversation was cut short by a nurse walking into the room, looking tired and slightly frazzled. “Ampora?”

The group automatically stood up, stepping forward.

“Yes?” Darian asked, an impatient tone to his voice.

“Eridan is ready for visitors. Two at a time, please. He’s still woozy and very confused, though isn’t in any pain. Honestly, he’s doing a lot better than we thought he would be, but it would still be better to take it easy and slow with him. Don’t jump at him and stay quiet, alright?” the nurse explained sternly.

Darian nodded. “Of course, of course. Where is he?”

“Are you going alone?”

Darian looked back at Cronus and Jerome, the latter stepping back. “You two are blood; Cronus can go before me.”

The nurse nodded. “Very good, right this way, please.” The two followed her into the patient ward, walking down the hallway and taking a left before reaching a door labeled 345A. She opened the door slowly, stepping in and holding it open for Darian and Cronus. Father and son looked at one another, both shaking in anticipation and fear.

The eldest Ampora stepped in first, sharply in-taking a breath. Eridan didn’t look good, though no one would after being tortured for almost a week. Various machines were hooked up to him through wires, his eyes closed and hands by his side, the white from the room and hospital gown washing out his pale face. Needless to say, he looked very different from before. Darian tried to will away the tears in his eyes. Cronus followed, having a similar reaction, though he couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

“Eridan,” the nurse began softly. Eridan’s blue eyes fluttered open, automatically going over to the source of the voice. “Your father and brother are here to see you, okay?”

He swallowed, though managed a nod as his eyes moved to his father. Once the nurse was sure everything was okay, she left the room, closing the door behind her and walking away. Darian moved to sit next to the bed, resting his hand on Eridan’s arm.

“How are you feeling?” the man asked.

Eridan shrugged, swallowing a few more times before speaking, “Weak, tired, hungry.”

Darian couldn’t help but smile, happy Eridan hadn’t dissolved into tears, though he assumed it was due to the morphine and confusion of waking up in the hospital.

“Well, you can rest soon, okay? And when you get out of here, Jerome will fix you a nice meal,” Darian responded. He’d never fully been soft with either of his sons, not even around Margo. She’d always been the concerned and understanding parent; however, after everything that happened, Darian couldn’t help but want to change his ways. He had almost lost his youngest son due to his carelessness.

“As long as it’s fish,” Eridan murmured softly, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

Cronus moved behind his father, trying to wipe away his tears. “Hey, Eri.”

“Hey, Cro,” Eridan responded, his eyes finding Cronus' face slowly.

“Everyone’s here for you.”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yeah; I mean, Feferi had to take Karkat home, but other than that, everyone else is here,” the male said with a smile, sitting on the arm of Darian’s chair.

“Do- do they know what happened?” he asked, looking away. He was ashamed and would absolutely hate it if they had seen anything. Eridan didn’t want them to see just how weak he was.

Cronus and Darian looked at one another, Cronus biting his lip and looking down. Darian ran a hand through his slicked back hair, sighing. “Yes, Eridan, they know what happened. It was your friend, Sollux, that was able to pinpoint exactly where you were.”

Eridan nodded, inhaling a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. “What do they think of me now?”

“They still care about you, Eri. They never stopped caring,” Cronus said.

He nodded once again. “Good.”

“Would you like to see them and Jerome?”

He nodded once more, the soft smile returning to his face. While smiling he didn’t look as bad, it looked like he held hope for his own recovery. Darian and Cronus couldn’t help but return it.

“Okay, we’ll get out of here then. Both of us desperately need sleep, but we’ll be here later on to check up on you, okay?” Darian said, moving his thumb in a comforting motion along Eridan’s bandage clad arm.

“Alright. Thanks, dad.”

“We love you, Eridan,” Cronus said, sending another smile Eridan’s way before leaving the room.

Eridan sat back, hating the feeling of the hospital bed, hating the overly clean white that was everywhere, and hating the fact that he couldn’t just be out; though he knew it was much better than being locked up in Melissa’s basement and suffering through pain every minute of every day. Yeah, things could’ve been much worse for him.

The door opened once more, Feferi and Sollux stepping in. Eridan’s eyebrows furrowed, noticing the fact that Jerome hadn’t come in. Feferi quickly picked up on his confusion, shooting him a quick smile. “A patient came in with a screwdriver sticking out of his gut and Jerome decided to help out; he really is the doctor, huh?” He couldn’t miss the tears glinting in her eyes, begging to be released.

“ED, before we get too far into this, I need to tell you something,” Sollux said, looking nervous as he stepped further into the room.

“Yeah?”

Sollux took a deep breath, trying to figure out the best way to go about telling Eridan. He couldn’t figure out the words, so decided to just come out and say it. There was no other way to put it anyway. “When Melissa electrocuted you, y-”

“How do you know about that?” the teenager asked quickly, eyes growing hard.

“What do you mean?”

“How do you know exactly what Melissa did to me?”  

“We were right there, ED. I was trying to hack the camera she was using and track down where she was,” Sollux said, confusion lacing his voice and causing his lisp to grow thicker, though he supposed it could’ve been due to the fact that he was so nervous.

Eridan had known his friends knew about what had happened, but he wasn’t aware they had seen all of it. He had figured it was just his father, Cronus, and Jerome. The fact that they had seen him completely fall apart killed him inside. His heartbeat picked up, registering on the monitor as well.

“Are you okay, Eridan?” Feferi asked, her voice wavering slightly.

“Um, y-yeah. I’m fine,” he responded, trying to get his breathing under control.

It took a few moments, Eridan closing his eyes and concentrating. He didn’t want to freak out in front of Feferi and Sollux, especially after everything they had already seen. Soon enough though, the monitor was back on track, beeping every once in awhile, signaling the fact that he was okay.

“That’s not it, though. When she electrocuted you, something happened to your heart. You- you died, ED. Melissa was able to bring you back, but- oh, fuck it, you only have five years to live unless you get a heart transplant,” Sollux spoke quickly, hoping his words weren’t jumbled together like they sounded in his head.

Eridan’s eyes widened, taking in what Sollux had said. Five years? That wasn’t enough time to do anything with his life, though he always expected he would die young- being a gang leader's son set that in stone. He would only live to be twenty-one.

“Are you lyin’ to me?” Eridan asked in disbelief, his voice shaking slightly. The heart monitor steadily began going into over-drive, the beeping quickening and increasing in volume.

“No, we wouldn’t lie about this, Eridan. I’m so sorry. We’ll be here for you though, okay? We’ll always be here,” Feferi jumped in, her hands visibly shaking as she tried consoling her friend.

“Get out.”

“What?”

“Get. Out,” the raven-haired teenager growled through gritted teeth. He needed to be alone, needed to think about things.

“Come on, FF, listen to what he’s saying. We’ll be back later,” Sollux said softly to Eridan, grabbing Feferi’s arm and dragging her out of the room. Once the door shut behind them, Feferi dissolved into tears, clutching Sollux for support.

“Darian was right; we shouldn’t have told him,” she whispered, her face buried in his neck.

“Yeah, I’m starting to feel that way too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exciting news, guys! My fiance is going to start drawing panels for this story! He's starting with the first chapter and working his way up, so look back and expect panels to be showing up soon! I'm really happy all of you are enjoying this and wowie, over 100 kudos and 1,000 hits! That's so amazing, guys! Thank you all so much for sticking with this and at least checking it out. You're all great<3
> 
> On another note, if any of y'all want to request a one-shot, I'm open.


	20. Welcome to the Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This is on a small hiatus due to Oliver catching up with panel drawing. Right now he's working on panels for chapter six. Don't worry, I am writing the next chapter, so once they're finished I'm going to update.**

Staring up at white ceilings grew tiring after awhile, but Eridan couldn’t give anyone the time of day. He didn’t pay any attention to his family or friends, instead counting the tiles and then grains of the ceiling, never blinking. The fact that he only had five years- less if he were considering the life he lead- terrified him. He began second guessing himself and his choices. Did he really want to pick up the gang once his father was out of the picture? Was that truly the life he wanted? Eridan always thought of pursing art or history as a child, when his mother was around. She would have never wanted her sons to become leaders of a notorious gang, and yet, the moment he’d heard word of her death, he vowed to take over. Of course, at that point, he’d been fueled by his hatred for the Serkets and the thirst for revenge, but they were out of the picture. What else was he to do?

He could hear his friends trying to speak to him, calmly at first, but growing more and more desperate as the days went on. All they wanted to do was reach him, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer. Eridan feared he would break down in front of them; but they had already seen way too much weakness. They saw him being tortured and realized how quickly he had given up on life. He never wanted them to see him in such a position again. He had to be strong for them.

The nurse described his silence as shock, something that was common in PTSD, which was what Eridan was suffering from. He supposed she was correct, as nighttime was the worst. He kept seeing Melissa standing at his bed, a wide grin on her face as she held up the car battery that should have killed him for good. Instead, it left him with a fucked up heart and no motivation to actually live. It was clear she had won. No, he wasn’t dead, but he would always remember what she did to him.

When his friends and family weren’t trying to get through to him, therapists were. Eridan had to be assigned three or four to speak with him- though he never said a word. What was there to say? What was the point in anything? The most they would do is try to understand him, but how could they understand someone that had been tortured for four days.  The most they could do for him was prescribe pills that he had no plans of taking. Eridan only hoped his father wouldn’t force him to take them.

After two weeks of the same thing- staring at walls, therapists, and people trying to get through to him- the doctor finally gave the green light in Eridan being released. He had six prescriptions to pick up and plenty of follow-up appointments, but he was free to go home and then school after another week. The teenager could’ve whooped with joy if he cared enough to. In all reality, the hospital wasn’t the worst place to be. Visitors had a limited time with patients, whereas Eridan could be bothered at anytime at home. If he could’ve, he would’ve begged the doctors to let him stay forever- confined to a hospital room, doomed to stare at ceiling tiles; but it kept him from having to speak with anyone. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings, which was what everyone else wanted to do.

Still, he tried to push all of his feelings to the forefront when he was released. He didn’t want to be a husk of the person he used to be, especially not around the others. However, all he could feel was the doom inside of him, struggling to make its way out and rip him apart like Melissa had done to his exterior. Eridan knew his behavior could cause everyone he loved to leave him, but maybe it was for the best. Maybe he deserved to be left alone for the rest of his short life.

In the end, he pushed all the feelings down, put on his best poker face, and refused the wheelchair the doctor tried to force on him. He wanted to walk out of the hospital with his back straight and chin held high. Eridan wanted to show that his scars weren’t a sign of weakness, they were a sign of his battles- though that just sounded stupid, it was something he held onto.

When he exited the room, everyone was waiting for him, looking nervous, though they held smiles on their faces. Eridan could tell they were afraid of what had happened, they were afraid for him; hell, maybe even of him. He kept his chin held high as he looked at all of them one-by-one. Darian rested a hand on the small of his back, almost as if to reassure him, though it didn’t do much good, as the teenager jumped slightly, his tough facade ruined in that moment.

Terezi and Sollux moved forward first, Feferi and Karkat hanging back as if they weren’t sure whether or not to approach him.

“You’re out!” Sollux exclaimed with a smile. He reached a hand out, as if he were going to pat the other’s shoulder or give him a hug, though thought better of it, letting it drop back to his side.

Eridan simply nodded, not having much else to say. Why was he stating the obvious?

Terezi looked to Darian. “Do you have any plans?”

The man looked confused. “Plans?”

She rolled her eyes before leading the man away. “Yes, plans. Like a welcome home party or something.”

“Oh.” Darian scratched at his chin before shaking his head. “No, I don’t think Eridan would like that too much. You know how closed down he’s been.” Throughout the past two weeks, the teenagers and Darian had grown closer. He had fully come to accept them, though it had taken time. Terezi had been the one to force him to take a step back and reevaluate how he was treating Eridan’s friends. It had taken him another week to apologize, admitting he was in the wrong. It was something the group was surprised about- Terezi having practically forced the leader of a gang to apologize for something; though it wasn’t all that far fetched, as the female _was_ the daughter of Regina Pyrope.

“Yes, but maybe a party is what he needs to open up more. If not you, then Sollux and I were talking about having a party at Simon’s. He and my mom are the only ones cool with Eridan, so they’ll be the only ones to know about it. Simon said he’s going to tell the other parents there’s a simple get-together. I think it’ll be good for him, Darian,” Terezi responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Darian looked to his son, watching as Sollux tried speaking with him, earning only one word responses as a result. “If you truly think you can break him out of this, then go for it. Not yet, though. He’s only been on his medication for a few days and the doctor said it will take about a week to fully kick in.”

“That’ll give us time to plan, then. Thank you!” Terezi exclaimed quietly, a large grin on her face, exposing all of her teeth. She then moved back to the others, leaving Darian to wonder why he ever apologized to her in the first place. “So, Eridan, when will we see you at school again?”

He shrugged, blue eyes looking tired and showing mild disinterest. “I dunno, probably a week.”

“Whale, we’re glad you’re fin-ally out!” Feferi said, a smile on her face, though it still didn’t reach her eyes.

Eridan appreciated the fact that she was trying, though. He turned to his father, ready to get out of the hospital, pick up his medication, and go home to his bedroom. He was simply ready to sleep in his own bed and stare at his own belongings. Things would be different, though. His room wouldn’t be the same, nor would the house. He would have to worry about medication that it was clear his father would make him take, he had to keep in mind that he had a heart monitor attached to him that needed to stay there at all times- well, aside from in the shower. Eridan didn’t need to be electrocuted again.

“Are you ready, Eridan?” Darian asked, joining the others.

He nodded, looking at the others, knowing he needed to say something meaningful. His friends had stayed by his side for two weeks, disobeying their parents and putting their lives at risk for even being seen with Darian. But he couldn’t find the words. Nothing sounded good enough in his mind and his mouth suddenly felt dry. Capturing his bottom lip between his teeth, Eridan thought for a few more seconds before figuring out the best thing to say. “I’ll see you guys later.” No, it wasn’t award-winning, but it was something. He was at least hinting at the fact that he’d see them once more. Eridan wouldn’t leave them in the dust.

Without another word, Darian and Eridan left. The two headed to the car at a slower pace than usual due to Eridan’s injuries. He had to get used to walking once more, though he’d done a little while in the hospital, it wasn’t as much as he normally did. Eridan found himself slightly out of breath by the time he and his father had reached the Mercedes. He was pleased that the heart monitor wasn’t going crazy, however. The doctor had said too much activity at once could send it into overdrive, but Eridan was sure he didn’t mean a short walk to the car.

“Are you good to get in on your own?” Darian asked, his voice softer than Eridan had ever heard it.

“Yes, Dad. I can manage on my own, thanks,” Eridan responded, his voice holding a mocking tone. He opened the door, taking inhaling a quick breath before ducking in, practically falling into place on the seat. A long cut on his side didn’t appreciate the sudden movement too much and Eridan prayed the stitches hadn’t burst as he didn’t want to have to go back in the hospital, especially not when his friends were probably still inside talking about him and how fucked up he was now.

“Eridan? Are you alright?” his father asked, already in the driver’s seat.

The teenager nodded quickly, waving his hand slightly as he reached a hand to his side and felt around, letting loose a sigh of relief when he didn’t feel anything damp. Surely his shirt would’ve been soaked through if the stitches had ripped. With a roll of the eyes, Eridan put his seat-belt on before sitting back and waiting for Darian to leave the hospital parking lot. The man stared at the other for a few more moments before shaking his head and starting the car, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward the pharmacy.

“Cronus and Jerome are going to be waiting for you. Cronus had to study and one of the gang members were hurt, so Jerome had to stay and get him patched up,” Darian said, obviously trying to make conversation. Eridan didn’t know why he was bothering. Darian Ampora had never bothered with small talk. Had the teenager being tortured really changed him that much? It didn’t seem likely, but Eridan had a feeling he would have to accept his ‘new’ father.

“Sounds good to me,” Eridan muttered in response.

Darian sighed. “Please don’t be this way, Eridan. I’m trying and so is Cronus and your friends. Shutting us out isn’t going to help.”

“Yeah, trust me, I’ve heard all of that from my therapists. Are you really goin’ to make me take those meds?”

“Of course I am. You need them and it’s obvious. If you don’t like it or refuse, I’ll gladly hold you down and shove them down your throat,” the man responded, voice growing harsh.

“Whatever, Dad,” Eridan growled, though he couldn’t help the smirk that graced his features at his father’s response. It was pleasing to know he wasn’t all good and still had his old qualities to him. The teenager wondered if the same would hold true for him and his future.

The two drove in silence, first to the pharmacy to pick up his medication and then home. They got out of the car wordlessly and headed to the door together, Darian opening it first and walking in. “Cronus, Jerome; we’re back!”

Eridan followed, taking slow steps inside. His body was beginning to ache, making him wish he had access to morphine to make the annoying throbbing go away. Unfortunately, there was no way he could ask for some, especially since Jerome kept it all under lock and key, only allowing people to have it if they seriously needed it. Eridan didn’t fall under that category. He stayed quiet as Cronus made his way into the room, freezing when his cool blue eyes landed on Eridan.

“Eri?” he asked, voice soft.

“Yeah, who the fuck else would it be, Cro?” Eridan shot back, voice annoyed, but secretly pleased his brother seemed happy to see him.

“Eri!” The elder Ampora child ran forward, his arms moving around Eridan in a loose hug. Eridan couldn’t help but focus on how warm the embrace was. God, he needed it; he enjoyed it. There was a large part of him that wished he had hugged Sollux- just hugged him and fell in his arms. Fuck, maybe even kissed him as well. But he didn’t and there was a reason. Getting close to people would only harm them. It was something else he had thought a lot about in the hospital. The fact that, no matter what, it could’ve easily been one of his friends or family. How could he have been so selfish?

“Hey,” he said, patting Cronus’ back a few times before awkwardly stepping away. He didn’t miss the hurt look on his brother’s face as he pulled away, making him feel even worse. “I’m tired, so I think I’m goin’ to sleep.”

“Do you need help getting up the stairs?” Darian asked, shirking off his jacket.

“No, I’ve got it… thanks,” Eridan answered, distracted by walking to the staircase and looking up, hating the fact that the Ampora residence was so damn huge. With a deep breath, he began the slow descent up the stairs, feeling Darian and Cronus’ eyes on him the entire way, as if he would suddenly fall and start convulsing.

By the time he had made it up the stairs, Eridan was practically heaving, sweat gathering at his brow. He stood by the wall, away from the stairs, trying to catch his breath. However, a knocking from downstairs distracted him. He leaned on the banister slightly, waiting to hear who it was. A gravelly voice suddenly rang in the air, no doubt Terezi was there. He wondered if anyone else had showed up with her.

“Hey, Darian. I know we just saw one another, but I really wanted to check on Eridan. Is he okay?” she asked, causing Eridan’s eyebrows to furrow. He hated the fact that everyone was speaking about him in hushed voices as if he were too fragile to hear anything.

“Yes, he’s fine. It seems he’s having a hard time adjusting, though,” Darian said.

“That’s to be expected after everything that happened. My mom is working on something to get all of this covered up, but it’s not easy, especially because of the fact that the rest of the force wants to talk to Eridan. They really want to catch the person that did this, Darian.” Eridan could hear the concern and worry lacing the female’s voice. He didn’t understand why she was so afraid, though.  He decided not to listen any longer, instead moving to his bedroom and shutting the door tightly behind him.

“Regina can get them off his back, right?”

“Well of course, she’s not the chief for nothing. I’m just saying that your gang needs to lay low for a little while. Do you think you could manage that?” Terezi asked.

“Yes. The gang hasn’t done anything since Eridan was found. I sent most of the members home to spend time with their families. Many of them might be going back to Scotland, honestly,” Darian responded, running a hand over his cheek.

Terezi simply nodded. “Okay, well, if you’re busy I can head out. I just really wanted to check up on Eridan. We’re all worried about him. I’ll tell my mom what you said about the gang. Just let me know if something changes or happens with him. Karkat and I will be by tomorrow.”

“I know you are; we all are, Miss Pyrope. We just need to be here for him, I believe. He needs support. I’ll give you a call if something does change. Have a nice night,” Darian said, watching Terezi wave as she walked away before shutting the door and sighing. There was so much more that could’ve been said or done; he could’ve let her in and had her talk to Eridan. Terezi knew was she was doing, however it was too late and would probably prove to be useless anyhow. Eridan wasn’t about to let anyone in, especially not Terezi. The man ran a hand through his greasy hair, stopping by the kitchen where Jerome stood, pulling a carton of apple juice out of the refrigerator.

“Jerome, I’m going to shower and go to bed. Today’s been a long day,” he said.

The elder man poured a cup before putting the carton back and facing Darian. “Imagine how hard its been for Eridan.”

The Ampora’s face fell. “Why are you still doing this? We found him like I said we would.”

“No, Darian. Those kids found him; you sat around twiddling your thumbs and waiting for something to pop up. You didn’t know what to do and it showed,” Jerome shot back. “That boy is broken and a little time and medication isn’t going to fix him. I understand you’ve changed and I do appreciate that, but-” he stopped speaking, shaking his head. “Don’t let him drift; it can kill a person, Darian. I’m worried about him.” With that, the old man picked up his glass and stepped past Darian, heading to his own room.

The black-haired man stayed where he was, hoping Jerome wasn’t right. Of course, he knew Eridan would need time; it wasn’t just the meds that would make him better, it was being around those that loved him, but it was clear he was distancing himself, making it hard to get close to him. Darian pulled his phone out of his pocket, shooting Terezi a quick message.

‘How soon can the party be?’

He received a reply back almost instantly, ‘Do you want to wait until Eridan’s meds kick in?’

‘I don’t think he can wait that long.’

‘Tomorrow. Drop him off at Simon’s place; I’m sure you remember where that is. I’ll spread the word.’ Darian nodded as he read the message, hoping it wasn’t a horrible idea. It was clear he didn’t want to be around his family, so his friends were the next best thing. And if he still rejected that, the only thing left to do would be checking him back into a hospital. Darian moved to the bathroom, stripping his clothes off as he tried to push the thought of Eridan from his mind. He felt like a failure of a father.

^^^

“Eridan, you really need to take your medication,” Darian sighed, staring at his son as he took a sip of coffee.

“There’s really no point, Dad,” Eridan responded, looking more well-rested than Darian had seen him the past month. He wondered if what the hospital gave him knocked him on his ass or if it were just the fact that he was back in his bed. Either way, Darian was simply happy that Eridan hadn’t had any nightmares. The man had seen Eridan suffer from them, resulting in thrashing, crying, and screaming. He hated seeing his son have to deal with the aftermath of everything Melissa had done to him.

“Yes, there is. What did I tell you yesterday? If you don’t take these fucking pills, I’ll shove them down your throat; don’t test me, boy.” He held the pills up to Eridan, a stern fatherly look on his face.

“Oh my God, fuckin’ fine!” Eridan exclaimed, grabbing the pills from his father and dry-swallowing them. He winced as he struggled to get a few of them down, though managed with a sip of coffee. “Happy?” he asked, glaring at the other.

“That I am, and cut the attitude, Eridan. You better not act this way with your friends. They just want to see you happy,” Darian muttered, trying not to lose his patience. Before everything had happened, he would simply slap Eridan upside the head, but he felt that that wouldn’t be such an appropriate response any longer.

“Yeah, I get it, I just-” he stopped himself before he got too far in. Eridan had done a lot more thinking the night before. There were so many thoughts running through his mind and it was hard to get everything to make sense. He wanted to keep fighting, but also wanted to stop fighting. He realized he’d been put on a transplant list, but would it be enough? Would he be able to make it that long? And the more important question: would his friends stick around for that long?

The teenager knew that as long as he acted the way he was, no one would even want to be around him. He knew he needed to decide what was best, not only for himself, but for his friends. All of the thinking made his head ache, but the pills were kicking in, making his thoughts grow fuzzy- but only slightly.

“You just what?” Darian asked, dragging Eridan away from his fuzzy thinking.

“Nevermind. I just want to eat and go to Sol’s,” he responded, digging into his breakfast, pleased to be eating something other than hospital food.

Darian’s brow furrowed, though he didn’t say anything else, instead leaving him be. The first night home with Eridan had been hard for him, especially after the talk he had with Jerome. He found himself continuously checking up on his youngest son, making sure he was okay and hadn’t done anything horrible to himself. Darian hoped Eridan wouldn’t do anything to himself, but depression did unpleasant things to people; it was clear his son wouldn’t be exempt from that.

“What time are we leaving?” Eridan asked once he was finished shoveling eggs in his mouth.

“As soon as you’re finished. You’ll be a little early, though,” Darian said, finishing off the last of his coffee.

“That’s fine. I kinda wanted to talk to all of them anyway; there are some things I need to say.” Eridan stood, taking his plate to the sink and washing it off. He then turned and faced his father. “I’m ready.”

“Alright, let’s go then. Head out to the car while I grab my keys. And make sure you grab your phone in case you need me,” Darian added, setting his own dishes in the sink before grabbing his keys.

Eridan picked his phone off the coffee table in the living room, checking his messages to find… nothing. He hadn’t heard anything from his friends, which was both relieving and depressing. He ran what he wanted to say to the others through his mind as he headed to the car, getting in and waiting for his father. He wasn’t sure how to word anything, as the pills were definitely having some sort of affect on him. He regretted actually swallowing them, but with his father watching like a hawk and hanging threats over his head, he didn’t have much of a choice.

Darian joined him soon after, sighing as he did so. He started the car, but before he pulled out of the driveway, he turned to the other. “Are you sure you want to do this? I know it’s still early and you just started taking your medication outside of the hospital, so I want-” he was suddenly cut off by Eridan holding up a hand.

“Dad, it’s okay. You’re right, I need to do this. I know I do; don’t worry, if somethin’ happens, I’ll call you, alright?” he said, trying to reassure his father.

“Alright, alright; I just wanted to make sure.” He then pulled out of the driveway, heading to Simon’s house. Darian was happy Eridan was following through with the plans, but also frightened. The last thing he wanted was talk about what had happened to occur. While he knew there was a possibility it would help him, he didn’t want to think about what the consequences might be. However, he put those feelings aside and was, instead, happy for his son. He was happy he didn’t stop Eridan from seeing them and knew Margo was probably proud of him for sticking up for those he cared about… wherever she was.

The two rode out the rest of the ride in silence, arriving ten minutes later to the rundown apartment. Darian didn’t understand how anyone could live in such a fashion but wasn’t going to question it out loud. He had a feeling it would only upset Eridan. The man parked the car, though didn’t turn it off. He faced his son. “Well, have fun, okay? Remember, if anything happens call me, and I’ll pick you up. Don’t walk home.”

Eridan nodded with a roll of his eyes. His newfound responsible father would grow to be really tiring really quickly. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that. “Got it, Dad. Don’t worry, okay? Just- can you call the school and get my homework. I don’t even want to think about how behind I am.”

“Of course, Eridan,” Darian retorted, watching as Eridan struggled slightly to get out of the car. Once the door had closed, he sped off toward the school as Eridan watched him go with a sigh. He then made his way up a flight of stairs, reaching the door labeled 42A. Sollux’s apartment. His heart speeding up slightly, Eridan knocked on the door, standing back and waiting for someone to answer.

The door opened, revealing a man that looked a lot like Sollux- blond, tall, and lanky. However, it was clear it wasn’t Sollux as there was a five o’clock shadow tinging his face along with dark circles forming under his eyes. Still, he managed a tired smile at the sight of Eridan. “Hey, the kids aren’t home right now. They left to go get some supplies.”

“Oh, well, if you want I can go,” Eridan said, sticking his thumb out and moving it behind him.

“No, no, I want to talk to you; well, not just me. Come in, please,” the blond said, moving out of the way to let Eridan through.

He nodded, though grew nervous as he stepped through the door and took notice of more adults, two of which looked more than a little angry. Eridan’s brow furrowed as he also took notice of Regina, the only recognizable person in the room.

“What’s goin’ on?” he questioned, confusion and a hint of fear tinging his voice. His gut was telling him to hightail it out of there, though his path was blocked by Simon and it was clear he wouldn’t be strong enough to fight his way through.

“Eridan, you know who I am, but this is Simon, Candace, and Karcer. We’re the parents of Terezi, Karkat, Sollux, and Feferi. All we want to do is talk to you about a few things, so sit down, alright?” Regina said, stepping forward calmly. She knew what had happened to Eridan and didn’t want to frighten him; she only hoped the others would hold the same courtesy.

He nodded, doing as he was asked and taking a seat on the worn down couch. As soon as his butt touched the seat, Candace practically jumped forward.

“How dare you choose to be friends with our children? You know what you do and the danger that follows you, yet you chose to put our children in danger?! What possessed you to do such a thing?” she growled, unbridled anger in her eyes.

Karcer stepped forward as soon as she had finished speaking. “Not to mention, how dare you lead such a sinful life and drag my son into it? You kill people and who knows what else! We know our children kept up with you when you were God-knows-where and then afterward when you were in the hospital. The Devil is inside you and we don’t want it spreading to our children!” he practically screamed.

Eridan sat back, his eyes wide. He could feel his heart speeding up, the monitor beginning to beep every once in awhile as a warning. He knew they were right but didn’t want to admit it out loud, nor to himself. He had come to terms with the fact that he needed the others. He couldn’t get through his recovery without them, and it was obvious. The last thing he wanted was to die alone. Eridan’s mouth moved, though nothing came out. Instead, tears filled his eyes. Fuck, he didn’t want to cry.

“What do you have to say for yourself, Ampora?” Karcer growled, stepping up closer.

“Karcer, that’s enough!” Simon growled, taking a few steps forward as well. Karcer wasn’t an abusive man as far as he knew, though he’d also never seen his best friend blow up like that.

“No, it’s not enough! Why are you even in this? You knew what our children were up to and you didn’t tell any of us! Hell, Regina knew as well. Why are you two trying to protect this monster?” Karcer erupted, slamming his fist down on an end table and rattling the lamp that sat upon it.

“Karcer, calm down or I’ll have to remove you forcibly,” Regina barked, her blue-green eyes hard.

The man exhaled through his nose, though stood back, crossing his arms over his chest. However, the yelling was far from over, as Candace took that opportunity to lean over Eridan, her eyes hard as she did so. “You being around my daughter puts her in danger; her knowing you puts her in danger. How dare you think it was okay to befriend them? Was it some sort of sick plan of yours?”

Eridan shook his head, tears spilling down his pale cheeks. “N-no. Fef approached me, I swear. I’d never had a friend before and- fuck, I don’t know, okay? I don’t know!” He then hid his face in his hands, shaking his head as thoughts attacked him. Melissa had been right about everything.

“Well, it’s good you’ve never had friends. Someone like you doesn’t deserve them, you filthy swine!” Karcer spat.

At that moment the door opened, Karkat, Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux stepping inside and freezing when they saw Eridan. Feferi practically dropped what she was holding to aid her friend, nearly shoving away her mother in the process.

“What are you guys doing?” she growled, her voice shrill.

Karkat moved around his friend, resting his hand on Eridan’s cheek. “Hey, man, are you okay?”

Eridan shook his head. “I’m sorry. It was a mistake. I can’t be friends with any of you anymore.” He then stood, moving out of the room quickly. As he did so, he could feel a few of his stitches split, forcing him to wince in pain; however, he hardly noticed and instead kept moving, not stopping until he had reached the bottom of the stairs before pulling out his phone and dialing Darian’s number.

Terezi watched Eridan go before rounding on the adults. “We left and all of you decided to interrogate him?” she growled, glaring at everyone. “You do know what he’s been through, right? He would do anything to keep us safe, including keeping this fucking secret from us! He just wanted to be normal, you fucks! I understand that’s such a hard concept for all of you to grasp, but you do realize what you just did, right? You just insulted a kid. Yeah, Eridan’s the same age as us, younger; in fact, he’s the youngest. We chose to be friends with him, even knowing who he was. Eridan tried pushing us away, but we didn’t let him. He was just fucking tortured; all we wanted to do was throw him a small party to show that we were here for him, and what happens? You goddamn idiots have to come in and ruin everything! I hope you’re fucking happy.” Her voice grew in volume until she was practically screaming at the surprised adults and, when she had finished, her chest was heaving. No one made a move to say anything, though Regina looked rather proud of her daughter.

With yet another glare, Terezi stormed out of the apartment and down the stairs, hoping Eridan was still there. She let out a sigh when she saw him standing by the parking lot, obviously waiting for his father to pick him up. Upon closer inspection she could see a few spots on his shirt where blood had begun soaking through. The female moved closer, not stopping until she was a few inches away from the other. “Hey, I’m glad you’re still here.”

“Ter, I told you that-”

“No, you need to reconsider. You can’t let what our parents say get to you; remember that you did disobey your Dad to be friends with us,” Terezi said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“That was my Dad, though. This is different. Kar and Fef’s parents fuckin’ hate me and I can see why, because I hate myself too,” the male whispered, more warm tears spilling over onto his cheeks.

Terezi reached a hand out, touching Eridan’s shoulder gently. “Please don’t say that. We love you and want you to love yourself, Eridan. Trust me, if we didn’t care or didn’t want to be friends, we wouldn’t be taking turns screaming at our parents. Can’t you hear Karkat going off on Karcer?”

Eridan wiped his tears away with a small smile. “You’d really want to be friends with me? Even after everythin’ you saw?”

“Of course, you idiot! We all want to be friends with you and were so fucking worried when you weren’t responding to us in the hospital. We want you to be okay, Eridan,” she said, pulling the other into a hug.

Unlike with Cronus, Eridan returned the hug, holding onto Terezi tightly. Just like they didn’t want to let go of him, he felt the same toward them. Letting go would mean certain death. His friends were the only ones keeping him alive at that point- it was clear to him. The two stayed in their position for a few more moments until the sound of a car grew near. Eridan pulled away, wiping at his eyes once more as his father pulled up.

“Eridan? What happened?” he asked, his forehead creased with concern.

“Our parents are here. Someone must have told them about this, or they found out on their own, so they attacked Eridan when he got here. All of us had stepped out to go to the store, so we weren’t aware of anything going on until we got back,” Terezi answered, taking hold of Eridan’s hand and pulling him closer to the car. “Would you want to come in and set them straight?”

Darian sighed loudly, but nodded, shutting off the car and stepping out. “Do you want to wait out here, Eridan?”

“I’ll stay with you if you want,” Terezi added, still holding tightly to Eridan’s hand.

The male shook his head. “No, I want to go. I feel like I need to be there.”

“It’s settled then. Let’s go,” Darian muttered, obvious anger tinging his voice. He walked forward, moving ahead of Terezi and Eridan, who took their time walking up the stairs.

By the time the two reached the top, yelling could be heard from the apartment. Eridan and Terezi looked at one another, sea blue eyes meeting blue-green as they surged forward, bursting into the room in time to see Karcer move toward Darian angrily, only to be stopped by Regina. The woman pulled the man’s arms behind his back forcefully.

“Go home, Karcer! If you refuse I will arrest you,” the red-head growled, pushing him forward.

“Fine, just know that you and your family will spend an eternity in Hell, and if Karkat wishes to join that lifestyle, that’s his decision. If you desire to live a life of sin so desperately, you’re not welcome back in my home,” the man said, first directing his words to the Amporas before turning to his son.

“Whatever Dad, just know that it’ll only be Kankri paying for your shit. Have fun living a life of poverty; I’m sure God isn’t going to help you out of this one,” Karkat responded, his jaw set as he spoke, anger radiating from his being.

Karcer simply glared at Karkat before shaking his head and taking his leave, narrowly missing Eridan’s shoulder as he did so. Candace shook her own head.

“Well, Karcer may be willing to let his own son go, but I’m not going to risk this. Feferi, come along,” the woman said, looking at her daughter.

The female’s eyes widened as she looked at everyone around her before landing on her mother. “I-I refuse to just leave my friend. You hated every single person in here until you actually got to know them, Mom!”

“This is different. This boy is a monster, just as Karcer said. Look at the way he’s getting between all of us!” Candace retorted, throwing her arms up.

“He’s not! Your hatred is what’s getting between everyone. You won’t even give him a chance!”

“I will not be spoken to like this. Now, do as I say, young lady,” she growled, baring her teeth at her daughter in an almost feral way.

Feferi’s eyes filled with tears as she shook her head, though Regina stepped in before things could be made worse. “Candace, at least let her stay to say goodbye. This can be her last day with him. Simon and I are staying here, so you won’t have to worry.”

Candace’s eyes narrowed at the other woman, though she sighed soon after. “Oh, alright. Feferi, you’re to be home by ten; after today, you’re not to see the Ampora boy. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mom,” Feferi responded softly.

“Good.” The woman then took her leave with a flourish, though everything seemed to be that way with her. Darian had to try to hold back the groan that threatened to escape his lips. He despised the woman, though did admire the way she carried herself. It was a strange sort of admiration he felt toward her, however.

Once the door had closed behind her, there was a collective sigh of relief from everyone. The drama was over, for the time being. Simon turned to Eridan, an apologetic look on his face. “I’m so sorry all of that happened, Eridan. They had come over and said they wanted to talk and promised to be calm. I didn’t know they would react that way around you.”

“I’m sorry, too. I should have put a stop to all of that sooner,” Regina added on, her own expression apologetic.

“It’s okay. I feel like all of that needed to happen. I do have somethin’ to say, though.” He paused, looking toward his friends. “If you guys are to stay friends with me, you need to be trained.”

“Trained?” Simon questioned, butting in.

“Yeah. They need to know how to fight and handle a weapon, just in case they are put in a position that they need to get out of. The threat of the Serkets is no longer a thing, but it’d be good to know and might even give you a piece of mind,” Eridan answered, his blue eyes still fixed on his friends.

“Hell, I already know how to fight, but I’m open to learning more!” Terezi exclaimed quickly, a wide grin on her face.

“I’m in,” Karkat responded immediately after. He didn’t have his father to tell him no; he could do anything, though he knew he needed to find a place to stay. “By the way, Simon, can I stay here?”

“Duh,” the blond responded with a smile. “You’re already like a son to me, Karkat. You’re always welcome here.”

“Thanks.”

“Anyway,” Sollux said, looking at his best friend and father with a strange look before turning his attention to Eridan. “I’m in, too.”

“So am I!” Feferi finished proudly, holding her chin high.

Eridan nodded, though turned to the chubby female. “Are you sure you want to go against your mother?”

“Shell yes! The sooner she sees you’re a good person, the beta,” she said with a smile.

“Alright, then it’s settled. We can start training as next week,” Eridan said, clasping his hands together.

“Yes, good! And now that that’s settled, let’s get this party started!” Terezi yelled, throwing her hands in the air.

Regina chuckled. “You kids have fun. The adults will be in the other room. Simon and I have a new parent to get to know,” she said, turning to Darian.

Darian’s eyes widened. “Oh, I wasn’t planning on staying longer tha-”

“Oh, shush! Come on, tell me about yourself, handsome!” Regina exclaimed, grabbing the man’s arm and leading him away as Simon laughed, following behind them. Before he disappeared in the back, he faced the teenagers. “Call for us if you need anything.  Oh, and Eridan.”

“Yeah?” Eridan asked, afraid of being yelled at even more.

Simon only smiled. “Welcome to the family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm hoping my chapters are going to end up being this long from here on out. Let's see how that goes, though. The next four or so chapters are going to be pretty calm as I'm sure all of you need some sort of reprieve from all of the serious that just occurred.
> 
> Panels are also starting to be uploaded. The artist is the one and only: ScarletteFox718. You can find him on Tumblr under olli-lolli. My Tumblr is cronusisnotonfire.tumblr.com. Feel free to follow me if you'd like.
> 
> Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed this. Let me know what you think!


	21. Panic Attacks and Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I would wait to update until Oliver was finished with the panels, but we're both pretty busy, so I figured I'd stop making all of you wait and go ahead and give you this. I hope all of you enjoy!
> 
> Chapters 1-6 have panels, so feel free to check them out!

“Eridan, you really should take your medicine now. You need to adapt to an unwavering schedule for this,” Darian said, taking a sip of his coffee as he addressed his son. He knew Eridan was stubborn when it came to taking his medication, even though he had admitted that they were working wonders on him.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it after I finish breakfast; get off my back, Dad,” Eridan responded, shoveling food into his mouth. It had taken a few days, but his appetite had come back full force, making him want to eat everything that smelled decent and had grease dripping off it. He couldn’t help himself; he was a growing boy that had to build his strength back up.

Darian opened his mouth to retort, but decided against saying anything, instead rolling his blue eyes and sighing. It was clear he was trying his best with Eridan, but it was hard to keep his temper under control when his son was constantly disagreeing and trying to rebel against him. Such was life though, which was something he really needed to adapt to. The two moved into silence, with Eridan eating and Darian looking over paperwork for something or other involving the gang. In the two and a half weeks Eridan had been out of the hospital, more than half the gang had gone back to Scotland, which left the Amporas with less people to cover for them for heists. Cronus wasn’t always the best choice for such things, and everyone had decided it wouldn’t be the best decision to throw Eridan back out into the field so early- despite his complaints otherwise. With that being addressed, Darian had decided to open up discrete interviews for those that were interested in joining. Of course, he had to get to know them to see if they had what it took to be apart of a notorious gang. It did leave the father of two pretty tired, which was a large downside.

Jerome moved into the kitchen, scratching at the back of his head as he picked up a plate and moved a few pieces of bacon and fruit onto it before sitting next to Eridan at the island. “Have you taken your medication?” he asked, concern lacing his voice as he took a bite of the crispy bacon.

Eridan simply rolled his eyes, responding by stuffing more food into his mouth and chewing slowly. Jerome chuckled, though didn’t press anymore- at least, not right then.

“Are your friends coming over? I would love to speak with Feferi more. She showed interest in becoming a nurse in the hospital, and I feel I could help her out a little,” Jerome said, standing once more to grab a mug for coffee. It was clear he had a favorite of Eridan’s friends, obviously favoring Feferi more, though his heart was big enough that he accepted all of them as his own. Eridan couldn’t help but be more than grateful; not only to Jerome, but Darian as well. It was clear his father had come a long way since the move to New York.

“Ter said somethin’ about comin’ over to start trainin’, which will be really nice. I’m assumin’ I’m allowed to join them?” Eridan responded once he finished his mouthful of food. He then looked pointedly at his father, eyes wide and hoping for a resounding yes.

Darian and Jerome looked at one another, the latter shrugging and earning a loud sigh from the former. Jerome only wanted Eridan to get his strength back as going from doing strenuous activity every day to none at all strained the body. He knew it would be hard for the teenager to get back into the swing of things, but with the help of his friends it would definitely be possible for him to do so.

“I think he should be able to. As long as he takes plenty of breaks and takes in plenty of fluids, he should be alright. I can sit in on the training to make sure he’ll be okay to ease your mind, Darian,” Jerome said, his tone taking on a joking manner and making the other roll his eyes. The men had worked things out, only after a small shouting match. Things had been slightly strained, but the last thing they wanted to do was cause Eridan stress with fighting, so they kept their emotions positive toward one another when around him.

“Fine, as long as one of us is sitting in on the training. You better not strain yourself though, Eridan,” the man paused, looking down at his papers before his eyes moved back up to Eridan. “There is something I’ve been wanting to speak with you about.” His voice sounded slightly strained and nervous, making Eridan’s head veer into potential scenarios as to what he wanted to talk to his son about.

Still, Eridan simply gulped. “Yeah?”

Darian grew quiet, as if trying to find a way to approach the subject, which he supposed was something he was trying to do. Simply bringing up Melissa out of the blue could have proven to be catastrophic, especially since the younger had been doing so well in keeping the nightmares and thoughts at bay, though he was sure that was also thanks to the strong dosage of medication he had been prescribed to. “Melissa isn’t dead, Eridan. Currently she’s in the basement. I figured you’d want to get your revenge on her, so I haven’t touched her, save for a little food and water to keep her alive. I apologize for not telling you sooner, however I think she can prove to be a good first lesson for your friends. If they can sit through her torture, they can deal with training.”

It was Eridan’s turn to go quiet after he took in his father’s words. He hadn’t been aware that Melissa had been under him the entire time. The thought made his blood run cold, though he tried not to show it. Despite that, he nodded, a sense that he needed to show he would be able to handle Melissa overcoming him. He _wanted_  revenge- desperately, and it would be simple to do. There was apart of him that didn’t want his friends to see him turn into someone he only was during his worst moments, but they knew about his life, and they had already seen nasty sides of him, so what was the harm? “It’s alright, Dad. I think it’s a good idea; I just hope they’ll have the stomach to watch it.” He thought back to the fact that his friends had sat through _him_ being tortured, and it seemed like they had handled it well enough, at least, that’s what he’d gathered.

“Are you sure about this, Eridan? You don’t have to do it, you know,” Jerome said quickly, only looking out for Eridan’s well-being, but still earning a sharp glare from Darian.

“Yeah. Yeah, don’t worry. Iit’ll be okay,” Eridan said, moving the last of his food around on his plate before clearing his throat. A feeling of dread was beginning to wash over him, forcing him to lose his appetite. There was a large part of his mind telling him he shouldn’t do it, but the part that wanted to show his father and friends that he was strong outweighed that part of him. “I’m goin’ to take my meds. Let me know if Ter and the others get here if I’m not back.” Without waiting for affirmation from the others, he stood and left the room, moving upstairs as quickly as he could and moving to his room. He could hear Cronus playing guitar in his bedroom, creating a calming air around him.

He moved to the bathroom quickly, opening the medicine cabinet and pulling four bottles out, sighing as he opened each of the lids. He hadn’t been taking them for too long, but he already felt as if he were turning into a robot. Eridan couldn’t deny the fact that they were helping however, as much as he didn’t want to truly admit it. He wasn’t looking forward to future appointments with his therapists though, as he hadn’t exactly been the kindest toward any of them. It was something he felt bad about, but not bad enough to actually apologize. The teen had been in a tough spot at that point; how was he supposed to react when people were constantly trying to tell him how he should feel or that things would be okay?

With a sigh, Eridan poured the required amount of pills in his hand from each bottle, looking at the colorful mood enhancers. They were each different sizes, different colors, and all held different things. One was to keep the anxiety at bay, one for PTSD, one for depression- a multitude of things that Eridan never thought he’d actually have to take. He wondered what his grandfather would’ve said to him had he still been alive. He could imagine it would be nothing kind, as Alastair never had a high opinion of those that took medication- no matter what kind they were. The thought of how annoyed Alastair would be at the amount of pills his grandson had to take brought a slight smile to Eridan’s face as he tipped his head back, throwing the pills in toward the back of his throat before taking in a handful of water and helping the pills go down easier. Taking all of them at once had been a bad idea, as it felt as if they were all stuck. Taking in a few more handfuls of the clear liquid, he let out a soft sigh once his throat didn’t feel entirely constricted.

Eridan then caught his own reflection in the mirror. Sure he felt a little happier, but it wasn’t enough. He’d lost a lot of weight in the three weeks that had occurred, causing his cheeks and eyes to sink in slightly, giving him a hollow look. The mischievous light that had always graced his blue eyes had disappeared. It was clear Melissa’s plan had worked; he’d survived but would forever hold onto everything she did to him- all the pain would crawl back to him. Eridan would never be able to forget. Still, he shook his head, biting at his lip and tearing his eyes away from the mirror. The ghost of how he looked stuck in his mind as he carded a hand through his thick hair.

He took a few deep breaths just as his father called upstairs. “Eridan, Terezi and the others are here!” He nodded despite the fact that no one could see him. Deciding it was time to go down and face everyone, he ran a hand over his face, scars and healing cuts covered with a thick layer of makeup. He wasn’t ready to show himself completely in front of the others. Not at that moment. The teen moved down the stairs, nearly jumping when Feferi ran up to him, wrapping her chubby arms around his torso and pulling him close.

“Hey, Eri-fin!” she exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. It made Eridan happy that she was back to her old self. She no longer looked like she was hiding some deep, dark secret around him. The looks filled with pity had yet to stop, though he pretended he didn’t notice.

“Hi, Fef,” Eridan responded, wrapping his own arms around her shorter frame. He looked up at the others as she pulled away. They all looked awake, which was good since it was their first day of training. “Are you guys ready to train?”

“Hell yes! What’s on the schedule for today? I call beating the shit out of Karkles!” she exclaimed, raising a hand above her head before flicking the shorter male on the ear. That earned her a loud growl, as Karkat tried swatting back.

“That fucking hurt, shitstain! And what have I told you about calling me that? Open up your ears for once in your goddamn life,” he muttered, rubbing at the tender spot she had flicked.

“Oh, lighten up!” she rolled her eyes before her attention was turned back to Eridan.

Eridan opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by Darian speaking up first. He hadn’t heard his father enter the room, which further proved the fact that he definitely needed to brush up on his skills. Three weeks of being coddled and babied hadn’t helped him out in the slightest. Being able to train would have made things much easier, but no one deemed him ready enough- something that would bother Eridan for quite a long time.

“For your first day of training, we’re going to be going down to the basement. We’ve been holding Melissa here and, now that Eridan’s doing better, we can start in with revenge that will lead up to her ultimate death. Are there any questions?” Darian asked, going into boss mode. He linked his fingers together behind his back, eyebrows raising as he took in the teenager’s surprised expressions. Darian needed to make sure they were fit to actually train and the best way to do that was to first show them someone being tortured in the flesh. It was common for gangs to do so to one another in order to receive information. The man recalled how much Margo had absolutely hated it, whereas it had always been Alastair’s go-to method when it came to dealing with rivals. Steal one man from a rival gang and torture the information out of him- and it had always proved to be effective. However, Darian was trying his hardest to do things differently, meaning he could resort to such measures. Not only that, but it wasn’t his job- it was Eridan’s. His son had had to deal with her, so it was only fair that he be the first to extract his revenge while also making it an example to his friends.

Feferi gulped, an audible sound that could be heard by the others, however, no one pointed it out; not even Terezi who kept her blue-green eyes fixed on Darian, looking for any hint of a joke. It was safe to say she hadn’t expected Darian to drop a bomb like that on them for their first day of training, though she understood why he had done so. Her eyes moved to Feferi, who looked to be sick to her stomach. She didn’t have to look at Karkat and Sollux to know that they probably held the same expressions. Her eyes then moved to Eridan, who kept his face passive. She wasn’t able to detect any form of emotion from him, something that frustrated her. Still, she shrugged. “I don’t have anything to ask. What about you guys?”

One by one, the group of four shook their heads, though their eyes remained filled with worry and slight fear. Once Darian had gotten confirmation from all of them, he gestured toward them, keying them in on the fact that they needed to follow him down the stairs. He then turned on his heel and left the room, Eridan following automatically along with the others. The walk to the basement was quiet, as it seemed everyone was holding their breath, and no one dared to say anything. The teens could safely say they were worried to see the state of Melissa. They wondered if Darian had done anything to her in the time that Eridan had been on the road to recovery.

Their silent questions were quickly answered as they approached a door, next to it a window leading into a dark room. Darian flipped a switch from the outside, the light flickering for a moment before shining brightly, revealing a woman with matted, dirty blonde hair. It had looked like she’d been beaten as caked, dried blood cracked at her temple as she looked up, her gray eyes empty save for the pain she was obviously enduring. Eridan’s eyes widened at the sight of her; Feferi had to look away, unable to take the sight. Karkat and Sollux simply grimaced as Terezi kept her face passive, forcing all emotion back. She needed to be strong and show the others they could do it too.

Darian unlocked the door as Melissa began stirring further, her hands bound tightly with chains, which cut into her wrists. The man looked back at Eridan. “Would you like to come in with me or should I get started first?”

A look of determination filled Eridan’s face as he stood with his back straighter. “I’ll come in with you.”

Darian nodded in response and opened the door, stepping inside and holding the door open. Eridan looked at his friends, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He tried to give them a reassuring smile, but found his muscles wouldn’t listen. Instead, he stepped into the room, listening to Darian close the door and step up behind him. Melissa looked up, a smug expression brightening her features slightly.

“Well, well, you are alive. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting you to actually pull through. Then again, you have me to thank for that,” she said, lifting her chin.

Eridan felt his chest begin to tighten, but tried to push the uncomfortable feeling away. He had a job to do and had to prove to his father that he could do it. The teen was no longer imprisoned, instead it was the other way around. He could pull through and torture her, just like she had done to him. He knew it- or at least, he told himself he did. Instead, thoughts filled his head, the ghost of everything she had done to him crawling back to him, clawing at his head and trying to be brought to the surface. Eridan tensed up, his fists balling as he struggled with his thoughts.

Melissa simply laughed, noticing just how much her simple presence was effecting the teenager. “What’s wrong, Eridan? Am I giving you bad thoughts? Poor thing,” she cackled, a mischievous light flickering in her eyes. If she were to die, she wanted to make sure she would eventually bring Eridan down with her. Sure, it wouldn’t be completely by her own hand, but she would have a large part in it. The woman had taken away Margo and Eridan was next.

“You can start whenever, Eridan,” Darian spoke up. He hadn’t noticed the turmoil his son was going through, nor did he take Eridan’s pained expression into consideration. His blue eyes were locked onto Melissa, cold hatred within them.

Terezi and the others stood outside of the room, peering in through the one-way glass. The female took a closer look at her friend, taking in his set jaw, tightened fists, and pained expression. It hit her just how tortured Eridan was being in the room with the woman. She wondered why Darian wasn’t doing a single thing about it, simply standing in place like nothing was happening.

“What’s wrong with Eri-fin?” Feferi asked, her own brown eyes drifting to Eridan as well. Her voice was tinged with worry and, though it took some force, her eyes moved to Terezi for the answers she desired.

“It looks like he’s about to panic. Melissa is giving him a really bad reaction, and I’m almost certain Darian isn’t realizing anything… as usual,” Terezi responded, her voice low and eyes unmoving. She clenched her own fists, prepared to start banging on the glass if it came to that. The last thing she wanted to see was Eridan going into a full-fledged panic attack.

“We should get him out, then!” Sollux exclaimed, moving toward the door. He was stopped by Terezi’s arm shooting out, keeping him in place. The blond struggled slightly before giving up, not strong enough to actually take on the female. “What the fuck, TZ? You said he’s about to panic! Shouldn’t we stop it?” he growled, turning to face her.

Terezi shook her head. “No, it looks like he’s trying to fight it. Trust me, I want to go in there, too, but I want to see if he can fight it off. If it looks like he’s getting worse, I’ll go in there, okay?” she responded, tearing her eyes away from Eridan for a split second. She gave Sollux a hard look before they flitted back to Eridan, searching his face for any sort of change. She automatically noticed his face had changed within the quick moment she looked at Sollux. It was clear his was breathing heavily, nearly hyperventilating, in fact. In front of him, Melissa’s face held a superior expression. “Okay, yeah, we need to stop this.” Without warning, Terezi began banging on the window, trying to get Darian’s attention.

The man’s eyebrows furrowed as he moved quickly to the door, opening it and poking his head out. “What in the fuck?”

“Get Eridan out of there, Darian. Being around her isn’t a good idea- just fucking look at him!” Terezi growled, her voice low and angry.

Darian did as she asked and looked back at his son, finally taking note of the teenager’s state. “Shit. Eridan, come on,” he said quickly.

Eridan didn’t move. His eyes stayed locked on Melissa, as if afraid to leave her. He didn’t want her to pull anything and start the cycle of torture over once more. The two stared one another down, though his father’s voice and heart monitor beeping brought him out of his thoughts, forcing him to break the stare and silence that had formed between he and Melissa. Eridan turned to look at his father, whose own face showed concern. Not saying anything, Eridan walked past his father with tense steps, his head back and eyes watching the woman, making sure she wouldn’t try following him- not that she actually could.

Once out of the room, Eridan’s situation didn’t change. He found that he couldn’t relax his body, and his breaths continued coming out in short gasps. His eyes continuously wandered to the door, watching for Melissa. The darkness of the basement brought him back to the stay in Melissa’s- his thoughts centered around her and her alone, no one else getting through. Even his father appearing in his line of sight did nothing. It was when Feferi touched him that he began thrashing. It reminded him of her. Despite the fact that Feferi had been gentle, all he felt was the pain that he had grown accustomed to.

Sollux moving in front of him and grabbing his face gently was what started to bring him out of it. While he couldn’t hear what the blond was saying, the thoughts of the kiss flooded his mind, calming him down slightly. He knew he needed to think of his friends- the times he’d had with them. The banters with Terezi, sharing lunch with Feferi, talking about romcoms and romance novels with Karkat, and kissing Sollux.

Eridan closed his eyes, inhaling through his nose and exhaling from his mouth. Words started flowing through his head- words of the present. He could hear Feferi fretting, Karkat’s cursing, Terezi telling them to shut the fuck up, and Sollux- Sollux telling him it would be okay- that there was nothing to worry about. He grew aware that his cheeks were soaked with tears, and his muscles ached from being tense. Eridan grew aware of everything around him, though a wave of nausea overcame him. He opened his eyes, keeping his mouth clamped shut, even as everyone began asking him questions.

“Are you okay, ED?” Nothing but concern could be found in Sollux’s voice, his eyes showing just how worried he was.

Eridan nodded, afraid to open his mouth.

“I’m sorry, Eridan. I thought you were ready, and I didn’t think every aspect through. Dammit, I should have bound her mouth!” Darian muttered, carding a hand through his hair as he took a few steps back. He stood still for a moment before locking up the room and shutting off the light. “I’ll do everything myself. Go ahead and get Eridan upstairs, please.”

The teenagers nodded, Karkat holding out a hand to help Eridan stand. The latter accepted, grabbing hold of it and letting himself be pulled up. Once standing, he wiped at his cheeks and eyes, embarrassed that he had cried in front of the others. He felt that it had been over such a small thing, however, it had helped him realize something vital: he needed the others. There was absolutely no way he’d be able to live without them. With that thought in mind, Eridan smiled at each and every one of them, earning strange but relieved looks afterward.

“Come on, idiot, let’s get you upstairs!” Terezi exclaimed, grabbing hold of Eridan’s hand and leading him away from the room without a second glance. None of them looked back, not noticing Darian slip back into the room and continue on with what Eridan was supposed to follow through with. The group moved upstairs quickly, stopping once they reached the kitchen, where Cronus sat, sipping at a mug of coffee as he worked on homework. It was a sight Eridan definitely wasn’t used to, as usually his brother had to be harped on and either forced or bribed to actually work.

Cronus looked up as the others walked in, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw the state of Eridan. “What happened?” he asked, taking a few steps forward as he looked over his younger brother.

“To put it simply, I didn’t react well around Melissa. I think I had a panic attack, but I’m not sure,” Eridan responded, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

“It was definitely a panic attack,” Sollux said quickly, though a blush dusted his cheeks as quickly as he spoke, causing him to look down in embarrassment.

Cronus stared at Sollux for a moment, opening his mouth slightly as if he were going to speak, but thinking better. He turned his attention to the other. “I’m sorry, Eri. Is there anything I can do?” He wasn’t too keen on how to handle panic attacks as he’d never had one, nor had anyone else in the family- at least, that’s what he thought. While living in Scotland, panicking was considered weak. If one was frightened, they had to keep it to themselves. He didn’t agree with it, but it was how he had been raised, though it still didn’t give him the right to pass judgment on his younger brother.

Eridan rubbed at the back of his neck for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I need to start trainin’ them,” he gestured to the other teenagers in the room. “Do you think we can make an example? I need to fight anyway.” His body ached, chest feeling tight and making it hard to breathe. He wanted to loosen up his muscles and take his mind off of everything.

“Yeah, of course. Anything to get away from my homework,” Cronus said with what sounded like a forced laugh. The others pretended not to notice and instead walked in the direction of the training room, entering and standing to the side, waiting for further instruction.

Eridan moved to the front of him, moving his neck from side to side and taking a few deep breaths. He knew if he were to make any headway with his friends, he needed to have a clear mind. Thinking about Melissa and everything he’d endured wasn’t going to get him or the others anywhere.

“So, what do you want us to do, boss man?” Terezi asked, a grin on her face. It was clear as day that she was trying to help, though Eridan couldn’t miss the expression of worry that was plastered underneath the playful stare.

“Just watch for now. Cro, come here,” Eridan responded, his blue eyes landing on his brother. “Watch how Cro and I move, look at the placement of our feet, arms, shoulders. Look at where we block and where our weaknesses are.” He held his arms up, waiting until Cronus followed suit.

Once Cronus had done so, Eridan attacked, automatically getting a hit into the other’s side. Cronus hissed in pain, eyebrows furrowing as he took better stance. The two watched one another closely, their eyes searching for any sort of opening on the other’s person. Cronus moved forward, his fist aiming for Eridan’s shoulder, however the latter dodged, moving one of his legs out and tripping Cronus up, standing back as he watched his brother land with a hard thud.

Eridan rolled his eyes, standing over him. “Stop goin’ easy on me, Cro. I’ll be fine.” He held out a hand, helping Cronus up and getting back into stance.

Cronus huffed softly, obvious worry in his eyes. He didn’t want to go through with it, not only due to the fear of hurting Eridan, but the fear of what Darian would say if Eridan _was_  hurt. Still, he too got back into fighting position, taking a deep breath before going at Eridan with much more force than before.

In the end, it was Cronus on his back once more, Eridan huffing softly above him, a foot rested on his chest. The brothers stared at one another, trying to catch their breaths before the younger sent a smirk Cronus’ way. Eridan lifted his foot off Cronus’ chest, throwing his arms above his head as he looked to his friends, who cheered, smiles on their faces.

“So, did all of you watch how I did that?” he asked the others, who nodded.

“It seems really confusing, though,” Feferi muttered, nibbling at her bottom lip. As hard as she tried, it had been hard for her to fully pay attention, especially since she was concerned about whether or not Eridan would overexert himself. While she knew he knew what he was doing, the fact that he could simply collapse made her heart ache. She didn’t want him to do anything overly strenuous.

Terezi shook her head. “It’s not confusing at all! You just have to watch out for your opponents weak spots and strike when you see an opening. Obviously, it’s easier said than done, but- hmm, Eridan, let me fight you!” she exclaimed, a wide grin splitting over her face.

Eridan looked surprised at Terezi’s offer, though he shrugged, a smile of his own appearing on his face. He knew Terezi, of all people, wouldn’t go easy on him. She would actually issue him a challenge, which was something he was grateful for. She didn’t believe in going easy on anyone, though it would be quite hard for her to actually push aside _wanting_  to. Terezi knew the condition Eridan was in and didn’t want to trigger anything either mentally or physically. Still, she stepped up to the other, crossing her arms over her chest, a wide smile still stretched across her face.

“Are you ready?” Eridan asked, the smile still present on his face as well. He got into stance without waiting for an answer.

“Duh!” she followed suit, not wasting a moment in moving forward, swinging at Eridan a few times and catching him by surprise once by getting him in the shoulder.

Eridan found himself surprised. He figured Terezi would be a decent fighter due to training with her mother, but he wasn’t expecting her to actually give him a run for his money. Determination filled him as he blocked everything else out of the world, his mind clearing automatically as he accepted his new challenge, locating all the pinpoints on Terezi’s body that he could use against her. In doing so, the female was able to get a few more hits in. However, once Eridan figured out exactly what he needed to do, he moved forward, attacking instead of simply blocking.

His fist connected with Terezi’s gut, making her double over. Eridan then gripped the back of her head and moved it down, bringing his knee up at the same time, though stopped himself before doing any considerably damage to the other. His end goal wasn’t to take her down fully, but simply show the others techniques.

Letting Terezi go, Eridan took a few steps back, a victorious smile on his face. “Beat you.”

She rolled her blue-green eyes, but smiled anyhow. “Yeah, yeah. I want a rematch as soon as I pick up more moves!” Terezi feigned another hit toward Eridan before cackling loudly and backing off, moving to Feferi.

Eridan rolled his eyes, though the smile didn’t disappear from his face. He turned to the others, clearing his throat slightly. He’d only trained those that didn’t matter much to him. Sure, the Amporas were a family, but the four standing in front of him were his friends- people that had had an impact on his life. It was strange standing in front of them as a teacher instead of a peer, but it also wasn’t too unwelcome. In fact, he accepted it.

“Alright, first off, I want all of you to practice on the dummies that are set up over there. Go ahead and go, I want to see all of your stances. Ter, you’re good; I know what you can do,” he explained, pointing his friends in the direction of the dummies and watching as they moved toward them; Terezi with confidence while the others moved slowly and nervously, as if afraid of disappointing Eridan.

Karkat got into stance first, very obviously mimicking what Eridan had done, though the teenager automatically noticed things that were off about his stance. He walked up to the male, gently kicking his legs open further.

“You need to spread your legs like this and relax a little more; you’re way too tense, Kar,” Eridan said, making sure his position looked much more natural. “Like that. Also, make sure your wrists are straightened. If you hit someone or somethin’ while they’re crooked, you could break your wrist. And you want to make sure they’re nice and stiff, too, or you’ll break bones in your hands.”

Karkat nodded, showing he understood. It was hard for him to remain relaxed, but he tried as hard as he could, straightening his wrists as he did so. The concept of having broken wrists didn’t seem too fun for him. He took a deep breath, his brown eyes meeting with Eridan’s blue ones as he smiled. Once he was pleased enough with Karkat’s stance, Eridan moved to Feferi, surprised that she had the stance down already. At his eyes widening, Feferi grinned proudly, pleased with herself.

“Good job, Fef. You definitely have it down,” he said before moving to Sollux, who was obviously having trouble with the stance. His tongue poked out of his mouth slightly in frustration, brows furrowed as he looked down at himself before his eyes wandered to the others, trying to get a grasp on what they were doing. Eridan couldn’t help but smile at him, stepping forward and grabbing his wrists gently. “You need to relax, Sol. It’s okay if you don’t get it the first time,” he began. Sollux did as he was told, trying to relax his muscles. He hadn’t realized just how tense he had been.

“Good. Now, spread your legs further apart. Yeah, like that. Move your elbows closer to your sides and then you’ll be golden,” Eridan explained, guiding Sollux through it with soft touches as he talked Sollux into the correct position. “And, as I told Kar, you need to straighten your wrists, especially when you’re about to hit someone.” Once he was finished, the teenager took a step back from his student, a smile appearing on his face. Sollux’s stance was perfect.

“Alright, now get out of the stance- stand naturally,” Eridan commanded, watching as the three did as were told and standing with their arms to their sides, moving their legs closer together. “Now, get back into stance.” Feferi moved back into it almost naturally, Karkat struggling slightly, but ultimately achieving it. Sollux hissed to himself softly, unsure of how to get back into the position. Eridan helped him out once more, showing him what he was doing well with and what he needed to work on.

“Fuck, this is difficult,” Sollux muttered, lisp growing thicker due to his frustration. It looked as if he were about to give up and walk out of the training room, but at the same time, he didn’t want to give up. He knew how vital training was, especially if he wanted to remain friends with the other. He took a deep breath before taking in everything Eridan had said, getting into stance.

“You did it! Now, you three need to practice. Getting into stance should become second nature by the time you’re done here. Keep go-” Eridan was suddenly interrupted by the door opening, Jerome stepping in.

“I’d hate to intrude, but I just finished making lunch. You need to take a break, Eridan,” the elder man said, looking completely unapologetic.

“Ooo, food!” Terezi exclaimed, running past the others and out of the room. Eridan rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he shot a glare toward Jerome, who simply lifted his arms innocently. Feferi perked up as well at the sound of food, a smile appearing on her face as she walked away as well, moving past Jerome. However the man stopped her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Feferi, if you don’t mind, after lunch, I’d like to speak to you more on the subject of you going to school for nursing, if you’re interested of course,” he said, offering her a kind smile. It was clear he was excited about someone taking an interest in nursing, as he was the only one in the family.

“Of course! Anything you know, I’d love to hear a-boat!” she exclaimed, smiling brightly.

“Good, now go ahead and eat. Come to my office when you’re finished.” He then looked to Eridan, who simply rolled his eyes. It was obvious he was also trying to put a stop to Eridan training, figuring the teenager needed some sort of break. “Are you two coming?” he asked.

“One sec, sir. I need to talk to ED about something,” Sollux piped up quickly before Eridan could say anything.

Jerome looked between the two, his eyebrows furrowing slightly before nodding and exiting the room, though his gray eyes stayed locked on the two as he moved out of the room, as if afraid they were going to try something. As soon as the door closed, Sollux turned to face Eridan, crossing his arms over his chest. An almost awkward silence fell over the two, stuffing up the room and making Eridan slightly uncomfortable.

Still, he cleared his throat. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked, quirking a brow.

Sollux looked around as if trying to find a sudden excuse to get out of speaking with Eridan, though he knew it was no use. He needed to face everything head on, including his feelings about the male standing in front of him. “It’s about the kiss. I know you’ve said dating would be risky and everything, so I’m not trying to pressure you into that, I just- want to know where we stand or if what I did will make things completely awkward for the rest of our fucking lives.” He spoke quickly, trying not to stumble over his words and keeping his lisp to a minimum, though it didn’t work as well as he’d hoped.

“Oh…” Eridan trailed off, rubbing at the back of his neck. Of course he’d thought about the kiss. He thought about it every day, but dating Sollux would still be risky, despite the fact that he wanted to desperately. He wanted to experience a relationship and doing so with Sollux seemed simply perfect. At the same time, though he was much too screwed up from everything Melissa had done to truly focus on anything involving love; at least, that’s what he had told himself. In all actuality, he wasn’t sure. “Honestly, yes, I’ve thought about it, Sol. I’ve thought about it, and I want to _do_ somethin’ about it, but I’m way too fucked up. What happened earlier just confirmed that. Medication only does so much,” he said, hesitating slightly as he tried to choose his words carefully.

“I’m fucked up too, ED. I mean, no, I don’t say much about it, but- fuck. I hear voices, okay? They tell me to do really extreme shit like hurt myself. I’ve been in and out of inpatient and on meds since I was a fucking kid. I know what it’s like to feel panic and hate yourself, okay? No, I haven’t been through what you have, but you have to admit, we’re both fucked up in our own ways,” Sollux said, growing desperate. It was true he wasn’t trying to force Eridan into a relationship, but damn would he at least try to get him to see reason. “And if you’re worried about me in terms of your enemies, the Serkets are out of the way, and I’m learning how to fight.”

Eridan bit his bottom lip, not knowing any of that about Sollux. He knew the other had a point however, he just needed to trust Sollux, but fuck, it was difficult to do so. “Why are you sayin’ all of this?”

“Call me fucking crazy, but I think we can help one another in so many ways. I’m not trying to cure you, and I hope you don’t do so with me, but I really like you, ED. I can’t imagine losing you, okay?” he said, averting his eyes. Sollux didn’t want to see the look of judgment on Eridan’s face. He didn’t want to be flat-out rejected or told he didn’t matter- despite the fact that he was every single day by his mind.

Eridan lowered himself to the ground suddenly feeling weak. He ran a hand through his hair, chewing at his bottom lip as he thought things through. Even if he did want to go through with everything, he wasn’t sure how to go about any of it. Sure, he’d watched the movies, but were they really legitimate? Was there a different procedure to go about when one guy was asking out another? It was clear he wasn’t skilled in anything involving romance. Instead, he decided to be straight up honest. “I like you too, Sol. The thing is- I don’t know what the fuck I’m doin’. You were my first kiss, and you’d be my first boyfriend. The last thing I want to do is come off as a fuckin’ idiot.” Eridan felt like a straight up weirdo admitting all of that, and he didn’t want to seem lame in admitting the fact that Sollux had been his first kiss, but it was the truth.

“I was your first kiss?” Sollux asked, his eyes widening. He knelt in front of the other male, resting a hesitant hand on his shoulder. “I’m not going to judge you for that, ED. Honestly, I’m kinda proud that I was. I know how to date, I’ve dated three or four people.” Sollux tried not to bring up the fact that they were all failed relationships, but knew that would be a conversation for another day, if anything even came of the conversation between the two. “I can teach you the ways of dating, plus I’m sure KK can show you a thing or two as well.”

In bringing up Karkat, Eridan’s heart sank. It was another reason why he wasn’t sure about dating Sollux. He liked both of them and wasn’t sure how to let one go while holding onto the other. It didn’t seem fair, though it was clear that Karkat didn’t care enough to actually speak with him, leading Eridan to believe his feelings had moved on. It was saddening, but made things much easier on the teenager. He sighed, head beginning to hurt with all the emotions and thoughts running through it. Eridan looked up at the other, moving closer slightly. “Okay, fine, how does one go about askin’ another out?” He wasn’t sure what he was doing or why, but for some reason, it felt _right_.

Sollux grinned. “Like this.” Without speaking another word, he closed the gap between them, gently pressing his lips against Eridan’s. The both of them could feel their hearts lift slightly, beginning to race at the close proximity and the touching of their lips. Everything seemed to fall into place, filling Eridan and Sollux as they smiled into the kiss. It was the latter that pulled away first, taking hold of Eridan’s hands and looking into his bright blue eyes. “Eridan, would you be my boyfriend?”

Eridan couldn’t help the blush that dusted his cheeks, never actually thinking the day he would be asked out would ever come. He wanted to laugh and jump up and down, but didn’t want to be thought of as strange for it. He’d be able to do it later on in his room. With a smile forming on his lips, he answered, “Of course, you fuckin’ idiot.”


	22. Rumor Mill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to get this update out! For some reason, I wasn't feeling too much inspiration, but I think I'm back now! I'm not sure if any of you have noticed, but I took down all the panels. olli-lolli wants to get them finished and, once he does, I'll add them all at once.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I apologize that it's shorter than how they have been, but I'm hoping that will change and my word count will start going up once more.

Eridan stood in front of the high school, trying to keep his heart rate under control. He kept a tight grip on the strap of his bag, his face blanching as students walked by him, a few staring. For the most part, most didn’t look at him. In any other situation, he would’ve been hurt at the sight of being ignored, but all he could feel was a strange sense of relief. He didn’t want anyone looking at him, calling him a freak, or anything of the sort. Darian hadn’t let Sollux or any of the others stay with him the night before, instead saying he needed to be well-rested for the next day. In reality, Eridan knew it was due to the simple fact that Darian was sick of teenagers running in and out of his house; not to mention the fact that something needed to be done about the gang, which had grown uneasy due to the silence from Darian.  
  
“Are you ready to go in, Eri?” a voice next to Eridan asked, making him jump slightly as he was pulled from his thoughts. It was Cronus. He had been nothing but supportive for Eridan, which both surprised and worried him. He wasn’t used to his brother acting kindly. They’d usually kept to themselves or had a friendly rivalry going on. Even when Margo died, they weren’t completely there for one another. In fact, Eridan shut himself away, only coming out to immerse himself in the gang, while Cronus focused on his music. He never wanted a life in the gang, he wanted to pursue music, which had been a passion of his since he was young. Only Margo supported that decision. After Eridan had been tortured, Cronus changed along with Darian. He wanted to ask why, but knew he’d be faced with lies. It was unusual for the Amporas to spill their feelings, especially to other Amporas.  
  
Eridan nodded, trying to put on a brave face. “Yeah, and even if I’m not, what’s the point in voicin’ it?” he said, crossing his arms and walking forward. Eridan could hear Cronus sigh behind him, but following along wordlessly.  
  
They walked through the doors of the school, where students threw paper at one another, laughing and talking loudly to one another. It was like entering an entirely new world for Eridan. He saw everything with a fresh pair of eyes. Living, breathing teenagers faced him; most only faced worrying about their grades or social lives, whereas Eridan faced death at every corner. Not for the first time, he wished he were among them: normal. Normalcy had been something he yearned for in the past, but all thoughts of that had dissipated when his mother died. Upon meeting his friends and dating Sollux, he began yearning for what others had. The life of not having to carry a gun with him or watch his back wherever he went. With the Serkets gone, a heavy load was lifted from his shoulders, but there was still the problem of his father refusing to disband the gang.  
  
Once again, Cronus’ voice brought Eridan out of his thoughts and back to reality. The reality where he was in the gang, where he did have to carry a gun and watch his back. A world where he had to watch out for his friends as well. His blue eyes shifted to Cronus, a brow quirking as he wordlessly asked him to repeat his question.  
  
“I’m going to class. If you need me, go to the office and have them call for me. You took your meds, right?” he asked, taking a few steps back.  
  
Eridan nodded. Cronus returned it and walked away, moving quickly toward his first period class, leaving his younger brother to fend for himself. It really wasn’t a big deal, as Eridan had grown used to the company of others due to the fact his friends wouldn’t leave him alone. He didn’t mind too much, especially since it meant he got to spend time with Sollux. However, they found that they had to keep their newfound relationship a secret. Eridan wasn’t ready to tell his father, and Sollux wasn’t ready to tell the others about it. Eridan couldn’t imagine how Darian would react at the news of Eridan having a boyfriend right under his nose, and he often wondered when the right time to tell him would be.  
  
He decided not to think about it too much, and instead went to his locker, opening it up and pulling a few textbooks into his messenger bag. Once he was finished doing so, Eridan moved toward English. However, along the way, Feferi caught up with him, a bright smile on her face and three textbooks in her chubby brown arms.  
  
“Hey, Eri-fin!” she exclaimed with a tiny huff.  
  
“Hey, Fef. What’s all that for?” he asked, eying the heavy looking books and wondering if he needed to ask Feferi if she needed help. Despite wanting to, he knew she would refuse any sort of help. Feferi had taken training very seriously and was working hard, even pushing herself a little further than permitted during her first month. Eridan wondered if she were carrying the books for the simple fact of a workout when he took a closer look at the covers. He quickly picked up on the fact that they were medical books, cluing him in on the fact that her talk with Jerome had gone well.  
  
As if reading his thoughts and confirming them herself, Feferi spoke, “Whale, you know that I talked to Jerome- he’s lovely, by the way- and I reely took an interest in everything he said! I dolphinitely want to move forward and pursue nursing!” The two then went silent for a few moments as they walked, Feferi’s breath becoming more and more labored as they did so. “Not to mention, carrying all of these is quite the workout. I don’t know why I decided to carry these to all my classes,” she said with a strained giggle.  
  
Eridan rolled his eyes and grabbed a few of the books wordlessly. The two then moved back into a comfortable silence. They reached the English classroom with no problems, taking their seats and preparing for class. At first, Eridan found he was nervous. He hoped he wouldn’t fall behind completely, though he had done well with getting everything done during his absence, it was still a worry.  
  
However, he quickly realized that he didn’t have much to worry about. As soon as class began, he realized that he was still on top of things. While things were slow starting off, he quickly picked up, earning a relieved smile from the teacher and a grin from Feferi. It was a huge weight off his shoulders realizing that he had nothing to worry about in terms of his grades. He would be okay; he wouldn’t be held back. Unfortunately, Eridan paying attention to classes meant he wasn’t paying attention to much else around him. He didn’t hear an increasing amount of students pointing him out and whispering amongst themselves quietly.  
  
Eridan stayed in unaware bliss until Biology rolled around, Nepeta looking more than mildly concerned for Eridan. As soon as he sat down, the small girl ran over, her eyes wide.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Eridan!” she exclaimed, her mouth pulled into a tight frown.  
  
Eridan’s eyebrows furrowed as he took in Nepeta’s slightly panicked look. “What are you talkin’ about?” he asked.  
  
She looked around as if the class were hanging on to every word. Once she accepted the fact that the coast was clear, she turned back to Eridan. “People have been talking about you. They’re saying you’re to blame for Vriska’s death. All of us are telling them to pipe the fuck down, but no one’s listening,” she said.  
  
Eridan took in her words carefully, his heart feeling as though it skipped a beat. Of course, what people were saying wasn’t terribly far from the truth. He was to blame for Vriska’s death, but Nepeta didn’t know that- and neither did anyone else at the school. He was more than aware of how dangerous it was that such a rumor was spreading, especially since the Amporas weren’t an uncommon name, even in America. The Serkets had had many other gangs on their side, so it was only a matter of time before the Amporas were sniffed out. However, Eridan wasn’t supposed to know such a thing. He had heard Darian talking about it with Jerome, who had been urging him to disband the gang for the thousandth time. Still, Darian hadn’t listened.  
  
He wasn’t sure what to say, however, his eyes moved around the room, taking everyone in. His fists clenched as a student met his eyes and looked away quickly. Eridan couldn’t stand it. No one was supposed to know about Vriska. He hadn’t left a trail, other than the fact that the same night she was killed, he had been kidnapped. He tried not to think about it, instead looking back to Nepeta.  
  
“I’m not goin’ to worry about it. What they have to say isn’t true,” Eridan said finally, though he didn’t buy what he was saying and knew Nepeta didn’t either.  
  
Luckily, she nodded, not pressing him into saying anything more and instead went back to her seat, joining Equius who simply shot him an unconcerned look. Eridan averted his attention to the front of the classroom as the teacher moved into the lesson, asking people to go to a page in their books and follow along. He found it hard to pay attention, the whispers suddenly penetrating his concentration and forcing him to focus on what was being said around him.  
  
_”I don’t know what happened, honestly. Someone said he was tortured, and from the looks of it, I can see it,” a girl muttered a few desks away from him._  
  
_“He was always picking fights with Vriska. I heard Trevor’s pissed. I think he might be planning something.”_  
  
_“Oh, yeah? What?”_  
  
_“Not sure. He just said to wait and see. It looks like Ampora’s a lot jumpier; a huge red flag that he had something to do with it.”_  
  
Eridan forced himself to tune out of the conversation. The people around him didn’t know anything, not a damn thing. They couldn’t speak about what they didn’t know, yet the rumors weren’t about to stop. He would have to endure them. It wasn’t as if he had much of a choice, and he wasn’t about to go to Darian and whine about how he couldn’t take what people were saying about the situation. Eridan had been put on meds for a reason, they needed to kick in, they needed to block out what everyone was saying. Of course, he knew medication didn’t work in such a way, but he still hoped.

 

|||

  
  
At long last, lunch finally rolled around. Eridan stood up quickly from his desk, exiting the classroom. He could hear Sollux behind him, calling his name, but he wanted to be out of the crowded halls. He wanted people to stop bumping into him, to stop pointing and whispering. Eridan could feel his heart monitor begin speeding up, beeping softly from beneath his shirt. The sound only made him speed up, pushing past people until he reached the lunchroom. He found it wasn’t as crowded as normal, which was something that made him heave a sigh of relief. Eridan stood out of the way of the door for a moment, calming himself down before moving toward the table he and the others usually sat at.  
  
Terezi and Karkat were already seated, neither eating nor reading as usual. Instead, they both looked more than a little angry. Terezi’s foot tapped against the ground, and Karkat chewed at his nails, his bushy eyebrows furrowed as he looked up, brown eyes meeting blue.  
  
“Hey, Eridan,” he said, taking his finger out of his mouth for a second before putting it right back in and resuming his chewing.  
  
Eridan took a seat next to Terezi and drummed his fingers on the table. He knew why they were angry, but was trying to find the best way to bring it up. There wasn’t an easy way to say that he wasn’t letting the people talking about him get to him, but it was a bold-faced lie. Eridan knew he might have been able to get such a lie past Karkat, but not Terezi- never Terezi. He ran a hand through his hair before letting it fall.  
  
“Look, neither of you need to be angry. I’m _tryin’_ not to let it get to me,” said Eridan, putting emphasis behind the word ‘try’. It wasn’t too much of a lie, but it also wasn’t exactly the truth. His eyes searched Terezi’s face, whose skin was red with anger, her jaw set as she looked around the room, which had begun filling up more since Eridan had sat down. “Really, Ter, I’m okay. Just don’t do anythin’ stupid.”  
  
At his words, Terezi looked over at him, her face softening slightly. “You say that, but I can see it plane as day in your face, Eridan. You’re hurt by what they’re saying.” She paused, running a hand over her face before turning her back to the sea of students. “But fine, okay. I’ll _try_ not to be angry.” Her eyes then searched his face, as if she were waiting for him to have a mental breakdown. He yearned to snap at her for it, but knew it wouldn’t get them anywhere. He couldn’t afford to be angry, not with the rumors that were spreading. He needed to blend in- if that were even possible.  
  
Sollux then sat down next to Eridan, his gaze hard. “ED, I told you to wait for me!” he exclaimed softly.  
  
“Sorry,” Eridan responded as Feferi then joined him, setting a few books down on the table. Just like Terezi, her face was flushed as well. No doubt from the workout with all the books as well as anger.  
  
Feferi sat down on Terezi’s other side with a huff. “I’m so angry at all of these people!” she exclaimed, crossing her arms.  
  
“Don’t Feferi,” Terezi said simply before turning her gaze to the table, as if the grains were suddenly interesting. Feferi seemed confused at first, but quickly caught on, figuring Eridan had spoken to Terezi. With another small sigh, Feferi, too, turned her attention away from the students. She, instead, immersed herself in the books in front of her.  
  
The table sat in silence, Karkat pulling out his own novel and beginning to read. Sollux grabbed his laptop and began coding, as usual. No one spoke, and no one ate. They couldn’t find it within themselves to. However, Eridan found himself calm sitting between Terezi and Sollux, with Feferi and Karkat near him as well. He felt safer with all of them near him. While he knew how silly it must have sounded, he felt at home with them around, like he could get through each and every day as long as they were there with him.  
  
Unfortunately, the feeling and blissful quiet didn’t last. A pair of hands slammed on the table, causing everyone to jump. Terezi’s hand went to her chest, making it seem like she was reaching for her concealed weapon for a moment. She then rolled her eyes and sat back, crossing her arms. “What do you want, Trevor?”  
  
Trevor, the boy that had slammed his hands down, was a beefy male with curly brown hair and hard gray eyes, just like Vriska had. He wore a sneer on his face, his cold eyes fixed on Eridan. It was as if the others didn’t exist in that moment. He lifted a meaty finger and pointed it directly at Eridan. “You. I know you’re the one responsible for killing Vriska. You wanted to be the king around here, and were completely jealous that Vriska ruled the fucking school.”  
  
Eridan found himself taken aback for a moment. He had expected Vriska to be mentioned. In fact, he had prepared himself to be approached by someone named Trevor when he overheard the students speaking in Biology, however, he hadn’t expected anything about kings and queens to be brought up. Had that been what everyone thought? Eridan and Vriska were simply fighting in something resembling a turf war? He could’ve laughed if he weren’t beginning to freak out inside. Trevor’s booming voice had began attracting the attention of other students. Others around the table stopped eating and talking, nudging their friends and getting ready for some sort of show.  
  
“Sorry, I didn’t think anyone _ruled_ the school. I just came here to learn, she was the one that tried gettin’ in _my_ face,” Eridan muttered in response, his face growing red at the unwanted attention. God, he hated how weak he had felt. If he had never been captured by Melissa, he would’ve handled everything with ease, but now he was hesitating, stuttering over his words. He could feel his chest begin tightening, just as it had when Melissa staged her verbal attack on Eridan in the basement.  
  
“Really? That’s not what it seemed like to me,” Trevor said with a cold laugh. “You came to _her_ school, stole _her_ friends, and accused _her_ of abusing her boyfriend. You were jealous of everything she had. What do you not have anything at home? Mommy and Daddy ignore you too much?” he asked with another sneer.  
  
Eridan squeezed his fists just as his chest tightened once more, nearly making him wince in pain. He opened his mouth to speak when Karkat beat him to the punch.  
  
“Shut the fuck up and leave him alone, idiot,” he growled. “Nobody here is interested in your weird obsession with Vriska. She’s dead. Get over it.”  
  
Trevor looked hurt for a brief second, though it was quickly masked by the same sneer. “Wow, you have to have your friends fight your battles for you? Really noble of you, faggot. You’d be nothing without them. In fact, you’d probably be dead, wouldn’t you, Ampora? You’re nothing. Everyone knows it. While you were strutting up and down the hallways when you first arrived, everyone pointed out just how meaningless you were. In fact, you were like a fucking flea. Everyone wanted to be rid of you.”  
  
He didn’t know how Trevor did it, but his words struck a chord. It suddenly became hard to breathe. His breath kept catching in his throat, sweat beginning to gather at his brow as his fists clenched and unclenched. Tears filled his eyes at the embarrassment of it all, especially when his heart monitor began beeping loudly, alerting him that he needed to get things under control. At first, Trevor looked surprised and confused to hear it, but he suddenly realized just what it was.  
  
“Damn, whoever took you really did a number didn’t they? Too bad they didn’t fucking _kill you_ ,” he growled.  
  
Eridan could feel all eyes on him. His ears felt like a radio, the volume being turned up and down by some unknown being. Things grew louder and then softer, confusing him. Eridan tried shaking his head, trying to get control of himself, though his body began acting on its own. He couldn’t stop anything that was happening even though he desperately wanted to. He wanted to get out, he wanted to leave. Why couldn’t he leave?  
  
A hand suddenly moved around his waist, jerking Eridan from his thoughts slightly. He looked to his left, eyes landing on Cronus, who looked concerned and pissed, just as the others had. Terezi took his other side and, together, her and Cronus helped Eridan to the back of the building, setting Eridan down against the wall. He could only slightly feel the warm breeze against his face, doing very little to cool him off. It still felt as though the world’s volume was being turned up and down against his will.  
  
“Sorry I wasn’t there right away,” Cronus began, running his slender fingers through Eridan’s hair, which was growing damp with sweat. “My Calculus teacher kept me over again, the stupid bitch. I swear to God, though, as soon as Eri’s calm I’m going to go back in there and give that fucker a piece of my mind.”  
  
“You won’t have to. I’m sure Feferi, Karkat, and Sollux have everything under control,” Terezi responded, holding onto Eridan’s hand. She turned all her attention to him, lifting her other hand to stroke his cheek softly. “Eridan, look at me, okay? You’re going to be okay. Don’t listen to him. Can you take a few deep breaths for me?” she asked.  
  
Eridan nodded slowly, trying to get in a few deep breaths. At first, nothing he did worked, though as he put his mind to it and began concentrating, he found things getting easier for him. He forced himself to feel Cronus’ fingers moving through his hair, Terezi’s hands holding his and stroking his cheek softly. He forced himself to feel their love and strength coursing through his being. As he breathed, he gripped onto Cronus and Terezi’s hands, wordlessly telling them that they better not leave his side. Of course, they weren’t about to. They would stay with him, something Eridan was grateful for.  
  
As Eridan began calming down, he grew exhausted. Without actually being able to stop it, his eyes fell closed and his head lolled to the side, his world going black around him.  
  
Terezi slapped his cheek a few times softly. “Eridan? _Eridan_? Fuck, he passed out. We need to get him back to your place, Cronus,” she said, looking up at the other.  
  
Cronus nodded. “Yeah, sounds good to me. Fuck, is this how it’s going to be, Terezi? They were fucking _taping_ him,” he muttered, trying to clear his throat to force the lump out of it. He didn’t want to cry; he needed to be strong for Eridan- for his little brother. Cronus gently picked up up as Terezi stood straight, looking crestfallen.  
  
“Sollux will take care of the videos if they get put onto the internet. Vriska wasn’t _too_ unpopular with Trevor’s crowd. She always knew how to manipulate people. Not to mention teenagers thrive on drama, Cronus. You did see Aranea and her little group of friends, right? They were assholes, all of them,” Terezi responded as they began walking toward Cronus’ car.  
  
“I hope all of this passes soon. Eridan was improving so much,” Cronus muttered, looking down at Eridan as he walked.  
  
“It will. It’ll take a lot of time, but it will. Soon everyone will find some other drama to latch onto. He’s still getting better, plus all of us are recognizing the signs of a coming panic attack. As long as he takes his medication and isn’t alone for too long at a time- at least until this blows over- everything will be okay. Plus, summer break is coming up,” she said, trying to remain positive for Cronus as well as herself. While she did believe things would get better, she wasn’t sure how long it would take. “Anyway, you go ahead. I’m going to get back to the others and shoot my mom a text. I’ll be over after school; Sollux and Karkat will probably be with me.”  
  
Once she got confirmation from Cronus that he’d be alright to keep going alone, she rested her hand on the top of Eridan’s head for a moment before walking back into the school, hoping the others weren’t in the process of expulsion.


	23. Shipping Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry this chapter took so long finish and publish. Honestly, I had lost inspiration for this for a little while. However, I'm back and I intend to finish it up! Stay tuned...

Terezi stepped into the lunchroom, her eyes searching the students. She had expected a huge fight to be broken out between Feferi, Karkat, Sollux, and Trevor. However, she saw nothing but students eating their lunches quietly. No one spoke, which was something she’d never seen before. Trevor was nowhere to be found. She walked briskly back to the table, clearing her throat once she reached it. Sollux was typing away on his computer, with absolutely no chance of looking up. It seemed he had gotten into ‘The Zone’, and whenever he was in ‘The Zone,’ it was hard to get him out. One thing Terezi did notice about the group was the fact that they were all red-faced with anger. Karkat’s eyebrows were furrowed as he stabbed a piece of chicken and stuffed it into his mouth.  
  
Terezi tried looking over Sollux’s shoulder to see what he was up to, however she found that no matter which angle she tried to look from, she couldn’t see his screen. With a loud sigh, she turned to Feferi. “What’s he doing?” she asked, jerking her thumb toward Sollux.  
  
“Keeping an eye on YouTube and a few other websites. He thinks the videos of Eri-fin will be uploaded soon, so he’s going to take them down as soon as they get put up,” Feferi responded, her voice soft so no one would overhear her. “Is he okay?”  
  
“I’m not sure. He calmed down, but passed out. Cronus took him home. Fuck, I’m so worried about him. This isn’t fair. He’s been through hell, and yet, he still has to deal with it. I feel like he should be home-schooled,” Terezi said, looking down at the table. She chewed at her bottom lip, looking at Feferi, Karkat, and Sollux. Karkat had looked up from his food, his brown eyes having settled on Terezi. Though the others were surprised from what Terezi said, they didn’t say anything on it. Terezi was the type of person to persevere no matter what, and expected her friends to do the same.  
  
“You know he wouldn’t go for that, Terezi. Plus there’s only a few weeks left of school. We can keep an eye on him and make sure nothing else happens,” Karkat said, taking another bite of his lunch. He also knew Darian wouldn’t go for it. Sure, he had gone lax on a few of the hard ass rules he had placed on Eridan and Cronus, however leaving school early would be out of the question. That wasn’t the Ampora way.  
  
“I can talk to Meenah about it. She’ll do anything against my mom,” Feferi said. “Plus, she knows about the gangs because of Aranea. Of course, she didn’t say anything, but she told me she knew. Meenah said she’s sorry she ever shit-talked Eridan, and I guess she did a lot of that with Aranea around- Cronus, too.” She played with her long hair, ashamed her older sister had made fun of Eridan and Cronus.  
  
“And I know Latula will be more than willing to help. Whatever Latula helps with, Mituna usually joins in. I swear to fuck, it’s impossible to separate those two,” Terezi muttered before fixing her attention on Karkat. “Is Kankri still being an ass about everything with your Dad?”  
  
Karkat let out a dry laugh, rolling his eyes. “What in the fuck do you think, Terezi? He’s always being an ass about my Dad, always taking his side. I swear, he’s shoved _so far_ up my Dad’s ass, it’s embarrassing.” He stabbed at the rest of the food on his tray, but didn’t eat anymore.  
  
The group went quiet for a moment, all of them losing themselves in their own thoughts. Terezi’s eyes continued searching each of their faces, though always came back to Feferi’s. She couldn’t help but notice just how upset and angry her girlfriend looked. She wished there was something she could do to take away all of their pain, but knew she could do little at that point. Terezi knew it would be pointless to go to the principal about the bullying going on, as nothing was ever done about bullying in the school. It was infuriating, but what were a few Sophomores going to do about it? Instead, they had to fend for themselves.  
  
A pair of hands tapping the table drew Terezi out of her thoughts. The first thought in her mind was that Trevor had come back, so she prepared herself to give the verbal beat-down of the lifetime, however, when she turned, she found herself face-to-face with Nepeta. The smaller female looked worried sick, her large green eyes filled with worry.  
  
“Is Eridan okay?” she asked. “I heard about what happened! I’ve been going to the art class during lunch, so I haven’t been around to see all the drama. Grr, I hate Trevor. He’s always trying to start shit!” Nepeta then sat down heavily, crossing her arms with a loud sigh.  
  
“Cronus took him home, Nepeta. He should be okay with a little rest. He just had a panic attack,” Feferi responded, though didn’t sound too sure of herself. None of them knew how Eridan would really react to Trevor and the wave of rumors that had spread around the school.  
  
Nepeta’s mouth pulled downward into a frown. “I wish there was something I could do. I’m pretty ferocious, so I could fight off all the bastards!” she exclaimed, dropping her usual cat-pun enhanced speech, which proved the fact that she knew just how dire the situation was. “The rumors that are being spread are so cruel. They’re saying Eridan was the cause of Vriska’s death, and that he’s in some kind of gang. That can’t be true, though! Sure, Eridan’s pretty mean-looking at first glance, but he looks like a big softy. Just like Equius!” she then lowered her head. “Oops, sorry for mentioning _him_.”  
  
The group looked at one another (with the exception of Sollux) and sighed. “I’m going to tell her,” Terezi said to Karkat and Feferi.  
  
“Tell her?” Karkat questioned, confusion lacing his voice.  
  
“No, you can’t, Terezi!” Feferi exclaimed, reaching out and gripping Terezi’s forearm. She automatically knew Terezi was referring to her telling Nepeta about the Amporas and the gang. It would only confirm the rumors and perhaps start more of them. Feferi had been very good friends with Nepeta, though they drifted apart after Eridan moved to town as well as the drama between Equius, Aradia, and Sollux happened. Plus, the group knew the rules. They weren’t allowed to tell anyone about the gang. Feferi knew just how bad the consequences could be due to her bringing it up to her mother at one point.  
  
“I can, and I will. This girl is tough as rocks, Feferi. She’d be an amazing asset, and she probably wouldn’t even have to train!” Terezi responded, gesturing at just how important it was to her with her hands.  
  
Feferi simply rolled her eyes, though Karkat still wore a look of confusion on his face- completely lost. Terezi turned back to Nepeta, who looked just as confused as Karkat, her eyes darting to each of them, trying to look for answers by searching their faces.  
  
“There’s something we need to tell you, Nepeta,” Terezi began, scooting closer to her and keeping her voice as low as possible, while still making sure she could be heard. “Some of the rumors you heard were true.”  
  
“What?” Nepeta questioned, tilting her head to the side slightly.  
  
Terezi sighed. “Eridan is part of a gang - his Dad runs it. One of their biggest enemies were the Serkets, because Melissa, Vriska, and Aranea were responsible for his mom’s death. They kidnapped her and killed her, Nepeta. Of course, no one takes that kind of thing lightly, so the Amporas retaliated, basically swearing revenge. They ended up moving here- to America- and, obviously, Vriska and Eridan fought, a lot. There came a time where there was some sort of showdown, and Eridan killed Vriska. Obviously that didn’t fly well with Melissa, so her and Aranea kidnapped him and tortured him for about a week. We were finally able to get him back here. He has a shit heart now because the Serkets _had_ killed him at one point, so now he’s on a transplant list. He’s on a fuckton of meds, and now he has to deal with assholes like Trevor here at school.” Once she was finished speaking, Terezi looked away, more than a little afraid of seeing Nepeta’s reaction to everything she said.  
  
Nepeta’s eyes were even wider than before, tears having filled them halfway through Terezi’s explanation. “What happened to Melissa and Aranea?”  
  
“Aranea’s dead and- we’re unsure where Melissa is,” Terezi lied, thinking it’d be best to keep the fact that Melissa was alive in the Amporas basement away from Nepeta.  
  
Nepeta sighed loudly. “I’ll do whatever I can to protect him. I’ve seen just how close all of you are. There’s obvious love there- not to mention all the _ships_!” she said, her voice wavering slightly at first. Terezi looked up at her to see a determined look on her face. She couldn’t help but smile at her.  
  
“Thank you, Nepeta. I should also mention just how vital it is that you keep this a secret. If you tell anyone, well, we’ll have to kill you,” Terezi added, scratching the back of her neck with a sheepish look on her face.  
  
Nepeta smiled at first, though quickly realized just how serious Terezi and the others were. The smile faltered, and she cleared her throat. “Well, that’s okay, because I wouldn’t have told anyone anyway! Not he-who-must-not-be-named or she-who-must-not-be-named either. No one! Not a soul!” she said, crossing her arms and lifting her chin into the air slightly.  
  
“Thank you again,” Feferi said, relieved to know Nepeta was more than willing to keep Eridan’s secret.  
  
Karkat’s eyes were hard, though he kept quiet, his jaw set as he continued stabbing at the food on his tray. It was clear he wasn’t as open to telling Nepeta anything, therefore, he didn’t want to be apart of it. She wasn’t a known blabber-mouth, but who knew what she would tell Equius if he found out about her visit to the table. He didn’t even want to think about it.  
  
The group fell into an awkward silence. It wasn’t easy to suddenly bounce back from telling an outsider what kind of life their best friend really lead. Feferi turned her attention to her hair, making small braids with steady fingers- something she usually did when confronted with an awkward situation. Terezi studied Nepeta’s face, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to figure out if it really was a good idea to spill to her. However, Nepeta had an almost dreamy look on her face as she studied the wall opposite her.  
  
“What are you thinking about?” Terezi asked.  
  
“Like I said, the ships with Eridan and all of you are amazing! I’m just thinking about all of the paw-sibilities,” Nepeta responded before looking around. “Unless, of course, he’s already taken!”  
  
Feferi and Terezi couldn’t help but be taken aback by how quickly Nepeta bounced back from the news. It was then both of them knew it was fine that they had told Nepeta. She wouldn’t spill, and that was clear enough- she wouldn’t talk about ships if she were made uncomfortable by everything that had been said. For a moment, Feferi hesitated in coming forward about the news of her and Terezi. They hadn’t come clean to the rest of the group- with the exception of Sollux, but that moment seemed to be the best in her eyes. She decided to only say something about it if prompted.  
  
“What are some ships you have in mind?” Terezi asked, not bothering to hide her smile. The talk of ships was a nice distraction to the conversations that had plagued them ever since they found out Eridan was in Melissa’s clutches.  
  
“I’m glad you fucking asked,” Nepeta said, bringing her fingertips together. She looked at the group, a smile forming on her face. “I ship Eridan and Feferi for one!”  
  
Feferi nearly snorted. Of course, she’d had a crush on him when she first met him, but things had changed. He was simply her best friend, nothing more. She didn’t _want_ anything more to come from it. Not only that, but she and Terezi were in a very happy closed relationship. In the end, she giggled.  
  
“We’re going to have to crush your OTP dreams for that one, Nepeta. Terezi and I got together about a month ago,” she said, smiling at her girlfriend before fixing her gaze on Nepeta.  
  
Nepeta sat up straight, her eyes growing wider as she took in the females before her. “You _what_?! Ugh, this is why I’ve hated going to the art room. I miss everything! That’s so cute, though!” She nearly began vibrating in her seat, a wild grin on her face. “I hoped there was something between you two, but I was never sure, so I had the two of you on the bottom of my list, but now you’re going on the very top!”  
  
Terezi laughed and looked over at Karkat, whose eyes were wide- almost betrayed.  
  
“You two started dating and didn’t _say anything_?” he growled.  
  
“Oh, shut up, Karkat! You know why we didn’t tell you. I mentioned it to Sollux in passing to help lighten the mood at the hospital when Feferi took you home,” Terezi shot back, her eyes growing hard.  
  
Karkat rolled his eyes, looking like he wanted to retort, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he sighed loudly and turned his attention back to his lunch and novel, tuning out the conversation between the girls.  
  
Terezi turned back to Nepeta. “Boys… So what other ships do you have for us?”  
  
Nepeta looked as if she were fighting between talking more about ships or keeping her mouth shut. She didn’t want drama to start within the group because of her, especially because they had always been close, and had grown closer still since Eridan joined them. However, if she failed at anything, it was keeping her mouth shut when it came to potential relationships due to her shipping wall.  
  
“Well, with you and Feferi excluded, I ship the hell out of Eridan and Sollux! Of course, he probably can’t hear me because he’s coding- the prick- but yes! They’d be _so_ cute together! I ship Karkat and Eridan too, but more as BFFs than anything. I feel like they’d get too pissed at one another, especially with how shouty Karkat is,” Nepeta laughed.  
  
Terezi’s eyes wandered to Sollux, who was still staring at his screen, typing every few minutes- no doubt trying to put a stop to potential mentions of the lunch fiasco with Eridan online. She was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. It was clear to her that something was going on between Sollux and Eridan. Their body language when they were near one another proved just that. She wasn’t sure why they hadn’t come forward about it, unless it was to avoid Karkat’s wrath, which was understandable. Then again, she didn’t know everything that went on with the two behind closed doors. Still, she wanted to ask when the timing was better and Sollux wasn’t completely immersed in his computer screen.  
  
She turned her attention back to Nepeta, who had pulled out a sketchbook and was showing Feferi all her top ships. Seeing Feferi giggle filled her with a calming sensation. They could get through everything. Everything would go back to normal, and Eridan would be a part of that normalcy.

^ ^ ^

  
Eridan groaned softly as a damp cloth was pressed against his forehead. He tried turning his head, but it felt like lead- impossible to move. His body ached as if he had gotten into a particularly nasty fight and came out of the losing side. His mind felt strangely empty, which would’ve been good aside from the fact that he had no idea what happened or where he was. With another small groan, he opened his eyes with difficultly, his eyes meeting Jerome’s.  
  
The elder smiled down at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. “Hey, you’ve been out for about an hour. You gave your brother and I quite a scare,” he said, pressing the cloth on his forehead again.  
  
“What happened?” Eridan asked, looking around the room and trying to ignore the start of a pounding headache. Had he gotten into a fight with someone at school?  
  
“I was hoping you could tell me that, Eridan. Cronus was able to give me a few details, but a lot is still missing. He mentioned the fact that there was a boy named Trevor giving you a hard time?” Jerome asked, his gray eyes searching Eridan’s face.  
  
Trevor. Eridan recalled the name easily, and it was in doing so that a face appeared. Cruel words filled his head- everything that had been said to him at lunch. Everything that sent him into a panic attack in the middle of the lunch room. Yes, he could remember everything, though he really didn’t want to. He could remember every single thing Trevor said to him, the truth actually spreading, and Eridan having no idea how to stop it. He was completely powerless. He was weak.  
  
“Cro told you right. A kid came up to the table durin’ lunch, tryin’ to tell me that Vris’ death was my fault- which it was- and all this other bull about my friends and how I should have died. It was really poetic, you know, how much fuckin’ passion the guy had. Anyway, everythin’ he said sent me into a panic attack, and I guess I passed out. So, here I am,” Eridan said, trying to make light of the situation in front of Jerome, though he still wasn’t feeling too good on the inside. Everything Trevor had said was still sloshing around in his mind, begging to be listened to over and over.  
  
Jerome stayed quiet for a moment, though continued working on Eridan. He kept the cloth on his forehead and bent over, grabbing a pill bottle and a glass of water. He poured a few aspirin onto his hand before giving them and the glass to Eridan. The latter took them without question. Jerome then put everything away and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair.  
  
“The fact that there are rumors going around about you being in a gang is concerning enough; add on the fact that people are actually approaching you about it is another story. Do you have any idea who started it?” he finally asked, though his words did nothing to ease Eridan’s mind.  
  
“My money’s on Trevor, but it’s impossible to be sure,” he responded with a shrug.  
  
Jerome sighed. “Well, I’m going to talk to your father about this; perhaps there’s something that can be done. I want you to rest, do you understand?”  
  
Eridan nodded, which was good enough for Jerome, as he stood and walked out of the living room, leaving Eridan to his thoughts. He rested a hand against the washcloth, trying to push all thoughts of Trevor from his mind, though found it impossible. Not only was _he_ plaguing his thoughts, the other students were as well. The way they stood up, gaping at the scene in front of them. He thought he had seen a few of them pulling out their phones, which would put that entire situation on the Internet and make things much worse for him and his family. Not to mention, Eridan hadn’t even tried fighting back.  
  
He knew laying around and thinking about everything that had happened wouldn’t do anything to help him. He needed to train, or find some other way to get his mind off of the fiasco at school.  
  
With slight difficulty, he pushed himself off the couch, standing up and stretching. He then moved toward the training room, prepared to beat the hell out of a dummy. He knew that if everything with Melissa hadn’t have happened, he wouldn’t have hesitated in teaching Trevor a lesson. Now, though, Eridan was weak. He was vulnerable. Gritting his teeth at the thought, he punched the dummy, picturing Trevor’s face as he did so.  
  
As he trained, his mind cleared. Sweat gathered at his brow, soaking his hair and shirt at the collar. His breath came out deeply as he pushed his body. Still, Eridan didn’t stop. At least not until a hand gripped his shoulder. He swung around quickly, afraid it would be an angry Jerome, pissed that he wasn’t laying down as he had been told to do. Instead, he found himself looking at his friends. They all wore concerned looks on their faces.  
  
Eridan wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and cleared his throat. “Hey, how long have you guys been here?” he asked.  
  
Sollux shrugged. “Not long.”  
  
“Are you doing okay?” Feferi asked, her eyebrows furrowed.  
  
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just needed to blow off some steam. I just- I can’t believe I was so weak at school. It didn’t used to be that way,” Eridan responded, knowing there was absolutely no use in lying to his friends about how he was feeling regarding everything that happened. They would’ve found out about everything one way or another anyway.  
  
“Don’t worry, asswipe. Give it some time, and you’ll be back to your ass-kicking self at school soon enough,” Karkat said with a smirk.  
  
Eridan and the others couldn’t help but smile, though wondered how long it would really be. It didn’t take a trained professional to tell that Eridan had changed drastically. As much as they tried to tell themselves that it was only a matter of time, they weren’t sure how much they really believed that. Eridan had been through what most hadn’t, and everything that had happened would be difficult to overcome- if he ever did.  
  
The group fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence, all thinking the same thing, but not wanting to speak up about it. However, they didn’t know what else to say either. At least, nobody but Terezi. She had always been good at changing the subject when necessary.  
  
“So, Ampora, mind if we train with you?” she asked, grinning and showing all of her teeth in the process.  
  
“Go for it. I was just tryin’ to build my stamina since it was shot. Sol, you need to practice positioning a little more until it’s absolutely perfect. Ter, Fef, and Kar, you three are good to start trainin’ with me,” Eridan responded, automatically changing his persona. He had to admit he found a certain satisfaction in bossing his friends around and telling them to do things, though he’d never admit that aloud.  
  
Everyone nodded and got into their positions. Once they started, Eridan found that having the others with him was much more enjoyable, especially when it came to Terezi. The group shared laughs as they trained, all of them trying to get their minds off of everything that happened. In those moments, it was like Eridan was back to normal- or as normal as an Ampora could be with the life they lead.  
  
Unfortunately, it all ended when an angry looking Darian entered the room. Eridan stopped what he was doing immediately once his blue eyes caught sight of the other.  
  
“I thought Jerome told you to rest, Eridan,” Darian said, his voice rough.  
  
“I couldn’t just lay there and think about everythin’, Dad. I wanted to train and get my mind off of everything that happened,” Eridan responded with a shrug, like it was no big deal.  
  
Darian shook his head, looking down for a moment. “Well, shower and get ready for your appointment, which you’re still going to, by the way,” he said, though his voice had softened slightly. “I’ll be waiting.” He then left the room.  
  
Eridan sighed and turned to the others. “You guys should probably go. Unless you want to keep trainin’.”  
  
“I do need to go. I’m sure my mom is wondering where I am. I’m glad you’re doing better, Eri-fin,” she said with a smile, pulling Eridan into a sweaty embrace. “Do you want me to take you home, Terezi?”  
  
“Nah, I think I’m going to stay here and train. Be safe on your way home, though,” Terezi responded, pecking Feferi on the lips and cackling as she blushed.  
  
Feferi only managed a quick nod, waving at Sollux and Karkat before leaving the room.  
  
“I’m staying if you are, Sollux. You’re my ride home,” Karkat said, crossing his arms.  
  
Sollux nodded. “I don’t want to leave until I perfect this position BS.”  
  
“Alright, well, keep doin’ what you’re doin’ then. I need to get ready,” Eridan said, making his way to the bathroom. He had almost reached the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he found himself facing Sollux. The blond didn’t speak, just pulled Eridan in by the soaked collar of his shirt. Their lips met softly, their bodies nearly flush against one another. Eridan’s hand moved upward, resting on Sollux’s shoulders for a moment as his eyes closed and he lost himself in the kiss. He could feel Sollux’s chapped lips move against his, his exhales tickling his cheek. Eridan felt like he was soaring, his head cleared completely and everything felt okay, at least, until Sollux pulled away.  
  
“Just wanted to give you a goodbye kiss,” Sollux said with a wink. He then walked away, a smirk resting on his face.  
  
Eridan rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair. He watched Sollux walk away and, once he was gone, he finally went into the bathroom to get ready for his appointment, his chest feeling much lighter than before.


End file.
